The Beginning of Always
by ishootstars
Summary: Let's just say that Emily Prentiss had never come to join the FBI, and instead, a gorgeous brunette agent called Amy Blake did, and managed to capture some hearts... What would happen then?  Read and review!  ReidxOC, MorganxOC, JJxHotch
1. Chapter 1

_AN: So basically, this is my new CM fic. Let's just say that Emily Prentiss had never come to join the FBI, and instead, a gorgeous brunette called Amy Blake did, and managed to capture some hearts... What would happen then?  
Read and review!_

_

* * *

_

**New Agent, New Story**

"Meeting in five minutes." Aaron Hotchner stated briskly, breezing past without so much as a good morning. Jennifer Jureau, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan stared at where he had just been standing, all still in the process of downing caffeine- a necessity to make it through the day. "He has _got_ to take it easy," Garcia sighed crankily, and Morgan flashed her a big smile, leaning over the counter to pick up his steaming mug of instant coffee from where it was resting beside her. "I hear ya, angel." He commented, taking a long, eager sip from his coffee. "This stuff is disgusting," JJ sighed irritably, finishing her own cup with a stressed gulp and tying her blonde hair in a neat bun, juggling an armful of yellowed folders. "Did you know that nearly 57% of all instant coffee-" Reid began, but shut up abruptly when their second boss in command, Jason Gideon, strolled past almost leisurely. "Ready for the meeting?" he asked sagely, but authority rang in his voice as the entire team stumbled up to their feet, heading directly to the conference room. "What could this be about now? It's not a new case," JJ whispered, and Morgan shrugged, grinning mischievously. "Maybe Hotch smiled, and the public was so shocked, they're making it an official holiday. Hotch Smiles Day… imagine that, no work for a whole day either." Morgan wisecracked, causing JJ and Garcia to chuckle, whilst Reid walked ahead, chatting eagerly to Gideon, in complete oblivion to their conversation. "Something that's actually likely to happen, Morgan," JJ responded dryly, but Garcia piped up, smirking wickedly. "It's the BAU, Jayj sweetie. They're practically _begging _us to expect the unexpected." Garcia winked coyly, causing both Morgan and JJ to laugh, as Reid lingered behind, allowing Gideon to walk into the conference room ahead of them. "What's so funny?" They all walked as a united force, ready for a brand new day… not quite knowing what was waiting for them, and certainly expecting the unexpected.

Amy Blake folded her arms over her chest, frowning up at the towering building in front of her. It was all sleek silver, steel and chrome, modern architecture, and above all, horribly intimidating. It was the BAU in Quantico, the FBI… her new and also old place of work.

Amy sighed deeply as she ruffled a hand through her long chocolate brown waves of hair absently, wondering how she had even gotten here. No less than a few months ago, she had been working up a storm in the Sex Crimes unit in DC, excelling and being promoted. She had been living the dream, going higher and higher in her job, slowly feeding into the politics side of things thanks to the eager encouragement of her boss, and living in a beautiful penthouse with her also FBI profiler and high achiever boyfriend, Jesse. Jesse had been in a different unit to her, naturally, so they rarely saw each other at work, which probably helped add to why their relationship had faded out so badly, just like everything else in her life had in DC. But, she couldn't and wouldn't dwell on her past now she was here- Quantico, ready to work amongst a sea of genius profilers. She frowned, wondering what she was going to be faced with when she walked past those doors, and into her new life.

She had resigned from her old job after something happened, something that had momentarily changed her life and shuffled everything she thought she knew around rapidly, and before she could take it back; she had been relocated… here, in this unfamiliar town, in this alien city. She had recently hunted down a slightly breaking down but nevertheless great loft apartment, and, after endless, restless pacing, decided to head to work hours earlier than expected. _At the BAU._ In all honesty, she had nothing better to do, and the BAU? Amy had practically been dreaming about the BAU since childhood. Well, not quite, she hadn't been crayoning pictures of herself as a federal agent, dressed in a flattering blue FBI vest, hunting down vicious serial killers… but close enough. She had wanted this for what seemed like forever, but now that it was on her doorstep, here she was, wishing that instead, the opportunity would go away.

Amy still couldn't really believe this was all happening.

Rumours were that fairly recently, their own sex crimes expert Elle Greenway resigned, and Amy was here to fill her shoes. _Here's hoping her shoes aren't ridiculously huge. _Amy smirked to herself, and squared her shoulders and pushed the glass door, walking inside the building with a fierce determination.

This was her new life now.

"So, what's going on?" It was Morgan who broke the silence, and the entire team watched as Gideon and Hotch exchanged brief, meaningful looks.

"We have a new agent arriving later today." Hotch watched carefully as shock registered over each of their faces, replaced quickly by curiosity.

Hotch lifted a finger, effectively silencing any questions that were sure to come (mainly hurried rambling from Reid, no doubt) and began to speak.

"Her name is Amy Blake, she's a sex crimes expert from the DC unit. I believe she's twenty-four years old, incredibly intelligent, a very capable agent from her reports… you get my point." The team were quiet, thoughtful, when a timid, mousy-haired woman appeared at the door.  
"Agent Hotchner? I'm sorry to interrupt your, ah, meeting, but there's someone here to see you." Hotch stood up, transforming from a sympathetic team member to a businesslike boss. "I'm busy-" he began evenly, but the woman interrupted. "She says you're her new boss… Amy Blake?" A silence fell across the room, and Hotch sighed.

"I'll guess you'll have to bring her in then, won't you? Thanks, Cynthia." The woman nodded, and disappeared.

"I thought you said she wasn't coming until later today," Reid pointed out finally, and Hotch frowned. "That's what I thought."

Amy followed the timid yet polite woman down the bullpen –Cindy? Or was it Cynthia, Amy honestly could not remember- and pretended not to examine her surroundings as she walked along, feeling and ignoring curious eyes following her every step.

Cindy/Cynthia paused outside a heavy door, and Amy nodded shortly. "Thank you," She said politely, as Cindy/Cynthia scurried off. Amy was left staring at the huge double doors, a perplexed expression on her face.

"Guess it's now or never," She muttered under her breath as she walked in boldly.

Amy had always been confident. She had grown up with confidence, and even when she was terrified or nervous or anxious inside, she brushed it away and pretended to be at ease. It was one of her many gifts, and she was grateful for it now when she faced seven unfamiliar faces, all of them staring at her with an intense curiosity that instantly made her uncomfortable.

She looked at each face, memorizing and studying them quickly. Firstly, she examined the person closest to her- an almost vanilla but yet very pretty blonde woman, with big doe-like blue eyes and a wary smile. She wore a simple blue v-neck sweater and black workpants, which Amy immediately reflected as her personality- straightforward, very secluded when it came to her personal life, enjoyed the simpler things of life, felt the need to give the outer appearance that her life was perfect. Beside her was another woman, with wildly curly platinum blonde hair, red-framed glasses, and a pink fuzzy pen that she was tapping against her scarlet red lips. She was the epitome of kooky, and flashed a cheery grin at her. She was wearing a bright scarlet and black print ankle-length dress, with a quirky military jacket thrown on top, with huge electric blue fuzz ball things propped in her hair, which immediately signalled to Amy that this woman was someone who was cheery and optimistic, and enjoyed to be as creative and unique as possible, maybe to hide any traces of emotional turmoil she faced at work.

There were two men standing up, and she immediately recognized them as authoritative figures. One had a stern face, and was watching her with that same stern expression, but there was something behind those carefully guarded eyes that caught Amy's attention immediately. Simply put, she immediately recognized him as a good guy. He was dressed in a simple black suit, with a dark blue tie- someone serious and businesslike, who looked and felt the part of authority… someone who's job meant everything to him.

The other was much older, but somehow wiser, and she immediately respected him. There was a surprising understanding, almost calmness in his eyes that she immediately admired. He was dressed in simple comfort wear, creased jeans and a tucked in red plaid long sleeve button up, which was simple, normal, unnoticeable. It told her he was calculatingly intelligent, but yet slightly oblivious to everything else about life.

There were also two other younger men, both also watching her. One had close cropped black hair, coffee skin and a big, flashy grin that he was aiming at her. He was charming, and she immediately recognized him as incredibly handsome. Admiration was apparent in his soulful eyes, but she knew a player when she saw one. He was dressed in a tight black t-shirt and dark jeans, which showed her he was cutting edge, tough- but with a sensitive side, as they all did, really.

And… the last boy. She chose to use the word boy in her mind, because boy suited him more than man. He was skinny, awkwardly gangly, and had chin-length lanky caramel hair and pale skin. Her wasn't textbook good looking, but there was something oddly appealing about him, something intriguing that Amy immediately caught onto. His eyes were a beautiful hazel, and they stared into hers with an admirable intelligence. He wore an array of geek-chic clothes, a cardigan, button up, loose tie, and brown baggy slacks. In other words, he honestly didn't care what he looked like, as long as it was neat and preppy, organized and smart- a lot like his personality.

She paused, and smiled. She had a naturally warm, sunny smile, and nearly all of the faces smiled back. (Except for that stern looking one, he just managed a vaguely welcoming quirk of the lips.)

"Hey." Amy said slowly, still smiling. "I'm Amy Blake."

"She's here? _Now_?" Penelope repeated; leaning over the table like the news was a piece of juicy gossip from her high school days, an excited grin spreading over her face. "Yes, Garcia." Hotch said almost sardonically. "So, where'd you find this girl?" Morgan questioned, leaning back in his chair. "She resigned from her old job in the DC unit, and requested to be assigned to another base. We looked over her file, which is incredibly impressive, and we asked her to join us." JJ raised her eyebrows. "DC? Wow." She said simply, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Well, I hope she's awesome, because we really could use another awesome female around here." Garcia added, grinning happily.

They all stopped mid-conversation when the door handle moved, and a woman walked in. The first thing everyone noticed was that she was strikingly beautiful, gorgeous even. She had long hair, _the colour of melting chocolate, _Reid mused to himself, that was wavy and silky and, when it was caught in the sunlight, fractured into a million different shades of gold and brown. She was tall, and moved with a natural grace, and was almost exotic yet cute, whilst being curvy and sexy and timelessly beautiful all at once. She was a walking oxymoron. She had a neutral expression on her face, and she looked thoughtful as she looked around the room briefly, before turning back to them. Her eyes were big and a deep brown, but everyone in the team recognized something in them that they didn't expect to see- something haunted.

_Damn. _Morgan was thinking, stunned. He considered putting his fingers to his mouth and giving a low wolf whistle, but decided against it when he remembered Hotch was in the same room as them too. And there was nothing scarier than a pissed off Hotch, after all. She stared at all of them evenly, before her pretty face broke into a big, heartbreaking grin. The entire team instinctively smiled back, and she opened her mouth. Her voice was lilting, musical, with a slight, charming Australian accent. "Hey." She began. "I'm Amy Blake." Hotch moved quickly, immediately all business. "Nice to meet you at last, Amy. I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, this is SSA Jason Gideon, our media liason Jennifer Jureau, technical analyst Penelope Garcia, SSA Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid." Amy nodded, smiling at all of them. "How about I let you quickly introduce yourself," Hotch offered, and after the briefest moment of hesitation, Amy nodded sharply, straightening her shoulders.

"Hi, as you all probably know, I'm twenty-four, I graduated from Yale University, but I grew up in Australia, as you can probably tell." She smirked wryly. "I have a photographic memory, and I'm secretly a massive geek inside, but don't tell anybody." She flashed another sunny smile at everyone, and they couldn't help but smile back, and she immediately picked out the shy beam filtrating from the boyish one's face- _Spencer, _she recalled, before continuing. "…And, as much as I love examining crimes, I'm most looking forward to getting to know all of you." She smiled, and the handsome one, _Derek, _grinned. "And it'sgreat to meet you," he added quickly, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes, as Hotch stood back up. "We're going to get briefed on a new case in about two hours, so everyone return to what you were going before. Um… Reid, can you show Amy to her desk?" Amy turned to Reid, as the rest of the team filtered out from the room. "Hi," Amy said to Reid, and he looked to the ground, mumbling an indecipherable response. "How long have you been working with the BAU?" She finally asked, as he led them out of the conference room. Reid looked at her nervously. "About a year and a half, well, actually, 465 days, which is one year and one hundred days." He suddenly rambled, and looked to the ground again, clearly embarrassed. Amy fought the urge to laugh, finding it almost endearing, and simply smiled at him. "So, where's this desk of mine?"

"So, what do you think?" The minute Hotch had dismissed them, Garcia had headed directly to the break room, where surely enough, the majority of the team was gathered. "Think of what?" Morgan questioned nonchalantly, causing JJ to turn and give him a withering look. "The newbie," Garcia responded quickly. "Well, I for one, think she's the most adorable federal agent ever. And she seems nice too, but we all know looks can be deceiving." Garcia gave them all her best conspiratorial look. "She's hot as hell," Morgan added, grinning slowly. "And apparently she's a _great_ agent. I just hope she's a _great_ person too," JJ said thoughtfully, not noticing when Morgan and Garcia exchanged knowing glances. It was no secret that JJ had never really had a particular fondness for Greenway, the agent Amy was replacing.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Garcia announced, grinning.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: PLEASE REVIEW._

_

* * *

_

Reid watched her from the corner of his eyes as he directed her to a small desk. She was beautiful; incredibly beautiful- it was like she had stepped out of every one of his fantasies involving beautiful women, and into reality. She directed another earth shattering smile at him, before nodding politely. "Thanks, Spencer." Reid hesitated. "Can I call you Spencer?" She questioned, and he shrugged. "Pretty much everyone calls me Reid. Well, everyone in the team, that is. It's actually been proven that in the workplace, referring to colleagues by their surname creates more of a working relationship…" He blushed, cutting off his rambling when Amy laughed. "But I can call you Spencer? I prefer calling people by their first names," She added, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Spencer's blush only deepened. "Yeah sure," He mumbled, watching as she sat down at her desk, smiling ruefully. "I should've brought my Ikea collection or something, huh," She commented, gesturing to her empty desk, and Spencer hovered awkwardly before turning on his heel and leaving abruptly, unsure of what to do and leaving a confused Amy behind.

He was walking towards the bathroom when Morgan stopped him. "Hey, Boy Genius, did you show the new girl okay to her desk?" Reid nodded numbly, for once, not quite finding words. "I think I came off a bit strange," He sighed finally, and Morgan laughed noisily, clapping him on the back. "No surprises there," He joked amicably. "But onto more important things… she's _gorgeous! _Amazing. No creature like that should be allowed in the BAU, of all places," Morgan crooned, looking over to where Amy was still sitting at her desk, but now involved in what looked like a happy conversation with Garcia. "I mean, look at that _face_, that _body, _those _legs…_" Morgan was practically drooling, and all of the sudden, Reid felt tight and defensive, irritated almost. "She's not another typical girl you can just drool all over, Morgan." He said bluntly. Morgan looked at his friend, surprised. "Man, you cool?" Reid nodded stiffly. Why was he being like this? He frowned to himself, confused. "I think I'm gonna ask her out… do you think I should ask her out?" Morgan asked Reid directly. Reid was put on the spot. _No. Don't ask her out, please. _"I doubt she's even single," Morgan sighed heavily. "But I will." He squared his shoulders in determination, and grinned flashily at Reid. "Wish me luck, man." He muttered as he strode off, leaving an irritated Reid behind.

"…And so, I was like, fourteen inches? _Really?_" Amy deadpanned, and Garcia immediately burst into high-pitched laughter. "God, I'm so glad you came here and not some other stuffy department. I love you already- is there anyone you wanna pay back? An ex boyfriend, par example? I can easily put a non-accessible virus on their computer for you…" Amy laughed again, shaking her head. "I'm fine, Penelope, thanks though." Garcia grinned, looking over Amy's shoulder. "Not to worry, better things are coming as I speak…" She murmured, and Amy's eyes widened in questioning when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, and the beautifully handsome man she'd seen before was right in front of her. "Hi beautiful, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself properly. Derek Morgan… although, you can call me anything you like. Handsome, for one." Derek lowered his voice, smiling at Amy. Amy smiled back sweetly, taking his hand in hers briefly, noting silently the way Derek purposefully let his hand linger. "Aw, Derek, aren't you the sweetest," She cooed, but suddenly twisted her hand, so it was gripping Morgan's tightly. Morgan cringed, not expecting the sudden change of nature. "You seem like a really nice guy. But, I'm not really a fan of overly flirty players. Wham-Bam-Thankyou-Ma'am kind of guys… _really _not my thing. But, I'll see you around?" Amy beamed at him, before straightening, turning and walking off towards Hotch's office.

Morgan stood there, stunned, his hand still in front of him, when Garcia gave out a loud cackle. "I love her!" She giggled, examining Morgan's stunned face. "If only I had a camera," she sighed loudly. Morgan blinked, snapping back to his normal self. "She… is so hot!" He exclaimed, and grinned, more spurred on than ever.

Amy shook her head ruefully as she walked, smiling. Derek Morgan was awfully hot, but she had had experience with those types before, and it honestly didn't end well. She headed up the stairs, knocking on Hotch's office door.

"Come in." She walked inside, smiling. "Hi, Agent Hotchner, do you have a second?" She asked politely, and he nodded. "Please, Amy, call me Hotch." He said, gesturing towards one of the chairs in his office. She sat down quietly, not exactly sure how to phrase her question. "Um, with my past in DC, I was wondering if you could…" Hotch interrupted. "Keep it from the team?" Amy looked up, relief written all over her face. "Yeah, that would be perfect. Just you and Agent Gideon… If you could, that is." He said, nodding. "That's fine, Amy." She sighed, beaming and standing up. "Thank you so much, Agent H- um. Hotch." She recovered, smiling. His lips quirked up in another almost smile. "Anytime, Amy." She sighed in relief as she let herself out of the office, feeling grateful that her past was finally behind her, at least for now.

As Amy left Hotch's office, she felt a hand on her arm, and turned expectantly. Morgan smiled at her. "Hey you," He greeted warmly. She couldn't help the faint smile on her lips. He was utterly charming, but she had been sucked in by these types before.

"Hey." She said shortly, and turned, but he grabbed her arm gently again, forcing her to turn and stare into those melting eyes. Amy sighed, from the moment she had laid eyes on Morgan, and the entire team actually; she had built mini-profiles in her head of them. Observing them, she had a habit of instinctively noticing the tiny, seemingly insignificant details about a person and filing them away in her head, building almost a character profile. It was what made her such a remarkable profiler.

"Look, I know you think you've got me all profiled. But you don't even know me. Get to know me. Tomorrow night? We can grab dinner, or something." She smiled in earnest this time. "Oh yeah? You live alone; you have no family here. You're all about your career, although you wouldn't admit it to anyone. You go through girls like nothing else, you use smooth lines and a smile to suck them in, and you don't call them back like you promise you will. You like confident, assured women, because it gives you a bit of a self-esteem boost when you leave them the next day. You haven't been in a proper relationship in a long, long time, if not ever, and that's probably because you're scared to get too close to someone." Amy delivered in a low voice, meeting his eyes thoughtfully. Morgan's face flashed with surprise, before he carefully masked it. "You're lonely," Amy said, her voice softening. She was aware that Morgan's hand was still on her arm, and that there was something else in his eyes, something she hadn't expected to see- an earnest pain, raw and emotional. "And you're searching for the person who will make everything feel right again, someone to patch you back up, but yet you're scared. You go through as many girls as you can, trying to find that person who will piece you back together. But every time you don't find her, you leave the surrogate after managing a short filled feeling of wholeness. But you end up feeling as alone as ever."

Morgan stared at her seriously, before managing a smile. "I'll take that as a no," He said almost shakily, removing his hand with a shrug. But there was something almost defeated in his eyes; that urged Amy's next actions.

"Derek…" She touched his shoulder gently, and he turned. "Tomorrow night sounds perfect." She smiled softly at him, and he smiled back, the hint of cockiness in the smile gone, replaced with a hint of sadness. "I'll talk to you about it later," He said quietly, and nodded at her before walking away. Amy watched him go, feeling conflicted when Reid brushed past, his face carefully emotionless.

Derek Morgan was different than what she had originally thought.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: _I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I last updated, but I had a major family crisis and I'm sorry! Anyway, I'm ready to update regularly, I've got at least 10 chapters waiting, but please **review.**

**

* * *

**

"So, any hot plans for tonight, Am?"

Amy grinned, shrugging. She was sitting in "Garcia's boudoir" with JJ, and the three of them were downing choc chip cookies like their lives depended on it. It had been less then twenty-four hours, and Amy had already bonded with the two blondes. Catching the coy look on her face, JJ straightened. "Spill." She demanded, chewing a cookie, and Amy grinned. "Okay. So, you know Derek…"

Garcia nodded, smirking. "What a fox," She said simply. "Oh my God, he asked you out for tonight." JJ gasped, and Amy grinned. "Uh huh. But, I don't know, it's just one date. I mean, he's a total player, right?" Garcia and JJ exchanged a knowing look. "I don't know. I mean, Morgan never asks girls out from work. He's not even the dating type, really. He must really _like _you," Garcia teased, and Amy rolled her eyes, laughing.

"So, any hot plans for tonight, Reid?" Morgan was standing in the break room, grimacing as he sipped at a steaming cup of instant coffee. Reid shrugged. "Read some Tolstoy, maybe catch a few new Star Trek episodes. The norm." He said lightly, smiling widely at his friend. "And you?" Morgan's faced stretched into a sly grin. "I've got a date," He sung, making Reid chuckle wryly. "When don't you?" He rolled his eyes, but Morgan continued on excitedly. "Ah, but this one's different. I've got a date with _Amy." _Reid stiffened slightly. "Oh?" he asked quietly, and Morgan nodded. "Oh yeah. She's gorgeous, and funny, and sweet from what I've seen. So, I'm pretty pumped." He winked at Reid, and Reid forced a smile back, wondering why he felt so conflicted.

"Ready to take off?" Amy glanced up from her paperwork to smile at Morgan. Her second day at work, and she'd already gotten a date with her co-worker. It was all a bit surreal.

"Of course. I'll see you in an hour," She added, smiling as she stood up, and grabbing her bag, walked out of her office and down to the car park.

As she stepped into her old car and drove home, she couldn't help wondering what she had gotten herself into. By the time she had arrived; she had only thirty minutes to get ready. She showered, not bothering to shave her legs -she wasn't doing anything that required bare legs with Derek Morgan tonight, she promised herself that- and after seeing she had fifteen minutes, dried her hair, quickly changed into a pretty geometric patterned silver and purple mini-dress and black jacket, smiling at her reflection. It was an undeniably hot dress, and she wondered idly why she was putting so much effort into a date with just another player type. Slipping into high heels and with three minutes to spare, she brushed on some mascara and lip-gloss, ran her hands through her still damp waves and hurried to get the door when it chimed loudly.

Derek stood there, smiling. He was wearing a nicely fitting black dress shirt and nice jeans, and his beautifully chiselled jaw dropped when he saw her. "You. Look _beautiful,_"

He breathed, and she smiled, pirouetting neatly. "Thank you, Derek." She smiled, slipping her arm into his before tilting her head up. "Now, where to?"

Candlelight, softly strumming acoustic music, flirty stares and delicious seafood.

Amy had to pass it to Derek Morgan; he knew what he was doing. With his foot gently touching hers every now and then under the table, and with the guitar playing in the aromatically yum smelling atmosphere, she couldn't help but feeling somewhat turned on. _Screw him and his vast girl knowledge; _she scowled to herself, despite the smile on her face. She was really enjoying herself, if she was completely honest. He was funny, honest, caring, smart, genuine. He was a really great guy, and she was enjoying herself far more than expected, and furthermore, he had actually seemed really interested in what she had to say. And, he was extremely good looking… that helped, adding to her reasons of why she was enjoying this particular date so much.

"So, how's the BAU treating you?" he asked now, as they finished up their meals. She shrugged casually. "Same old, same old." She commented lightly, but something flashed in her eyes. Derek watched her carefully, feeling utterly intrigued by this mysterious new girl. "Yeah?" He asked, and Amy nodded, meeting his intent gaze.

"Hey," She began, smirking. "You know, I'm really not a one night stand girl. Nor am I casual-sex-with-co-workers girl either." She folded her hands in front of her, meeting his eyes evenly. He smiled at her, grinning. "I figured," He said simply, as dessert was suddenly in front of them, courtesy to an almost unbearably polite waiter. Amy savoured a bite of the heavenly mud-cake before speaking up again. "So, if you've figured me out… why ask me out tonight?" Derek shrugged, still staring at her, taking a moment to respond. "Because. When you profiled me before… it's the first time in a long time anyone's ever figured_ me_ out." Amy smiled softly. "Good answer?" he asked, leaning forward to steal a bite of her cake. "Great answer." She replied, smiling at him.

By 11PM that night, Amy was pretty certain Morgan had the luck of the dating gods on his side. Not only had the night air lost its normal bitter wintry frost, but it had also cleared to reveal a huge golden moon and a spangled blanket of glittery stars. They were walking to her apartment now, his hand gently tangled in hers. He smelt heavenly, to use awful clichés, like something spicy and masculine and uniquely Morgan. She frowned, wondering if she should be happy or troubled that she had such a great time tonight, but when glancing at the contented look on the man's face beside her, she decided to forget her own woes and enjoy the rest of the night.

Morgan was definitely not one to hold a hot date's hand after having a surprisingly romantic and flirty dinner with her, especially if the intentions weren't based on sex and one-night stands, but these circumstances were different. In fact, he wasn't really a hand holding type of guy at all, but she was… once again, different. He watched her carefully as they walked, thinking about her question earlier, about why he had asked her out. The question had caught him off-guard, but a lot of things about her did catch him off-guard. Originally, it had been just because she was seriously hot as hell. And then because she had turned him down... the thrill of the chase and everything. But then, after she had profiled him… it was the first time in so long that someone had looked behind that mask he wore and figured him out. She had figured him out, and she had still agreed to go out with him. And a huge part of him wanted to figure her out. And of course, she was hot.

Her hand was tiny, and fit in his snugly. She was leaning into him slightly, and they talked as they walked. Over dinner and the walk, they'd exchanged life details- family (Amy had two younger sisters, as did Morgan), school (Amy had gone to an elite selective school whereas Morgan had gone to a 'scary' public school), friends (Amy had been hugely social back then, as had Morgan), likes and dislikes (Kurt Vonnegut was a common like)… even the awkward past relationships topic. Morgan elaborated he hadn't been in a real relationship before, but he was looking to change, and Amy had told him she had two serious boyfriends before, but they'd been mistakes, and she too, was looking to change. Morgan had discovered that she wasn't only bright, smart, cute and sweet, but passionate, independent, and wildly funny, and adorable, and interesting.

So when they approached her door, he found himself wanting to spend more time with her.

"Hey… can we do this again sometime?" He asked bravely, and she nodded vibrantly, smiling at him. "Only of course." She grinned teasingly. He smiled at her, brown eyes staring into brown. _She is truly gorgeous_, he thought, the cool wind blowing her wavy hair from her face, the faint smile on her lips.

"You glad you asked me out tonight?" Amy asked softly, and he nodded, leaning in a tiny bit closer. "Very." He said, his voice lowering. And just like that, he kissed her.

It was like a sudden shock, and Amy was suddenly all too aware of his hand gripping her hip gently, and his lips seeking entrance to hers. He kissed her intently, the kiss deepening, his hand gently caressing her cheek and bringing her closer, causing both of them to shiver violently, before finally, he pulled away, staring into her eyes.

"Wow," Amy said breathlessly, laughing, and he nodded, smiling. "Wow." He repeated.

She hesitated, before leaning forward and touching his face gently. "Good night, Derek." She said finally, leaning forward and kissing the corner of his lips gently. But before she could pull away, his hands caught her face and he was kissing her again, more strongly, and she shivered with desire as she kissed him back hungrily. This time, the touch was urgent, and she felt his tongue graze hers before once again, he pulled away, his own dark eyes laced with desire. "Good night, Amy." He said finally, and with a last smile, he turned and walked away.

Reid sat at his desk, watching Morgan. He had a huge, glowing grin on his face, and seemed way too happy for 10AM on a Thursday morning. He had obviously had a great time last night… _with Amy._

He watched with carefully calculating eyes as Amy entered the bullpen, sharing a soft flirty smile with Morgan, before turning and walking away. Morgan's eyes stayed watching her, before he grinned even wider, if it were possible.

Reid scowled to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: _**review review review.**

**

* * *

**

The team were all gathered in the conference room, and Amy had taken the time in the past five days to get to know her team better, and get the hang of things.

She had formed an instant friendship with Penelope and JJ, the three of them bonding like girls do, and had even briefly talked to Gideon about birds.

Yes, birds. And after spreading the news about the half-smile from Hotch, a feat, she had been informed by JJ; that was near impossible, she had felt even more comfortable with her new colleagues.

However, she'd barely talked to Reid- every time she lifted her eyes to meet his, he'd frown and look away immediately. Morgan and her, however, had kept good contact- although they hadn't organized a second date; they exchanged light flirty conversation. They hadn't mentioned the subject of what they were doing, or even of their two very intense kisses, much to Amy's relief. Amy was surprised at how much of a good guy Morgan was proving to be. But, even now, gathered around the conference table it was strange- Reid was completely ignoring her, but when she glanced at Morgan, he offered her a warm smile. Amy sighed and decided to worry about that matter later.

JJ strode into the room, late, but she was cupping a mug of coffee in her hand, a shocked look on her face. "Who brought a coffee press and made real coffee?" She whispered in a revering tone, and Amy laughed. "Sorry, is that okay? I'm a coffee addict, and the instant stuff is awful." She said, shrugging, and the entire team stared at her. "More than okay, fantastic!" JJ grinned, walking over and sitting next to her. "Don't ever leave the BAU."

Amy beamed, chattering away happily to JJ, but snapped to attention when Hotch called the case overview to begin, and JJ stood up, switching to slick professional JJ.

"Gardener, Fisher and Ward, three newlywed couples on a holiday at Eternal Bliss, a huge motel designed specifically for newlyweds in Newport, California. They were all found brutally stabbed and sliced in their honeymoon beds, with the words Forever Yours carved into each of their backs. No witnesses, no CCTV, nothing."

JJ stood up, and clicked through the slides. "The murders are all ten days apart, and occur around night-time." Amy cringed, she had seen worse, but it never failed to pull at her heartstrings, seeing such brutality. She looked away briefly, meeting Reid's inquiring eyes for a split second before he, once again, looked away, leaving Amy feeling yet again, perplexed.

Hotch took in the awkwardness, but pushed it away. "I'd like to get a profile set up- Reid, Blake, Morgan. You begin on that, and victimology. Gideon and I will fly over, we haven't gotten permission to investigate yet, they want us to head over, check the crime scenes, talk to the locals." Hotch nodded, as everyone stood up and went their separate ways.

* * *

"Okay, so what do we know so far about the six victims?" Amy straightened, all business. She avoided both Morgan and Reid's eyes, instead standing in the small workroom where a clean whiteboard was waiting, along with a see through glass map of California.

"Well, they're all white, all in their mid to late twenties, all consists of a female and a male, and the females are all brunette." Morgan said thoughtfully, and Amy was relieved to notice that he was all FBI Agent and less Mr Flirtatious now. "All brunette females, this could indicate that the stressor could've been something to do with a brunette, or a particular brunette woman in his life or who was in his life is of special importance to him." Reid added, and Amy nodded, turning to document both of their observations on the writing board.

"Have you also noticed that all the women are extremely independent, and have successful careers, and are more the money makers than the men?" Amy added, writing that down too. "That's a good observation, Amy." Morgan said admirably, and Amy smiled to herself. "Any other connections? Schools, work, clubs, anything?" Amy nibbled her lip, and Reid shrugged. "Garcia already checked it over, and there didn't seem to be anything. I'm guessing he just chooses his victims by selecting brunette women who take the dominance in their relationship, and who stay at that hotel, most likely by stalking them."

Amy sighed, leaning against one of the brass panelled walls thoughtfully. "Well, maybe that's because something happened at that hotel that is of, like you said, Reid, importance to him." Morgan nodded, standing up. "Or, he could just work there, and it's easy for him." Amy was deep in thought. "Garcia had surveillance tapes, but they were killed in different rooms to where the surveillance tapes were recorded, so this guy knows the hotel very well. I think we've got enough to begin a profile... what do you guys think?" She asked, sighing.

Morgan nodded, glancing at Reid. Amy stared at Reid, trying to get him to make eye contact, but he simply stared down at the file in front of him, until frustrated, Amy finally broke her gaze, feeling annoyed. "Okay. So, let's start?" Morgan finally said, and Amy nodded tightly, sighing yet again.

"…He's very quiet. He keeps to himself, and he's very socially awkward. He'd be a white man, possibly in his thirties." Morgan said, looking at the team. Hotch and Gideon were still out, but they'd dragged JJ and Garcia in and Hotch and Gideon were on video conference. "We believe that the fact that all the women targeted have been brunette and had dominance in the relationship, by being the money makers and having high status jobs." Amy continued, standing in front of the whiteboard, which was now covered in her sloping handwriting, Morgan's neat block print and Reid's messy scrawl. She surveyed the mess briefly, feeling somewhat proud of the detailed profile they'd put together. Sure, it had taken a good awkward two and a half hours, of which Reid had barely looked at her, but in the end, they'd received good results.

"The fact that he kills them at the hotel and repositions them post-mortem in different rooms from where CCTV cameras are located indicates that the idea of happily married couples anger him. The hotel could be something from his past, he might've stayed there once, or he could, most likely, work there, and it's easy to kill." Reid added. "Garcia cross-referenced the hotel, there's thousands of employees who fit the awkward 30 year old male description." Amy added, sharing a quick look of mutual respect with Morgan, before looking today. Working with the two young males of the team today, Amy had come to only nothing but extreme respect for the both of them. Reid worked extremely efficiently, with a speed and smarts that she couldn't help but feel intimidated by, and Morgan looked at things with a unique, realistic angle that Amy also found completely admirable.

On the grainy computer screen, Hotch and Gideon nodded. "How've things been going over there?" JJ asked, and onscreen, Hotch shrugged. "The police officers don't want the whole team heading over, and they actually want us to bring in undercover agents, instead. They think having the FBI in good old California is going to bring in unwanted publicity." Morgan scoffed loudly. "So. Who gets the lucky job of acting like a happy couple?" Garcia questioned, fiddling with a colourful Rubik's cube. Gideon leaned forward, into the screen. "Well, Amy will definitely have to go in, seeing as she's the only brunette we have," He said, and Amy nodded, not surprised or stifled in the slightest. Being an undercover agent was just part of the job, really.

"…And Reid." Hotch finished, and Amy nodded, feeling a tiny sinking feeling of dread.

Gideon was too old to make it verifiable, Hotch had Haley, and Hotch didn't want to send Morgan and Amy in alone. But Spencer?

She'd thought she'd gotten on the right foot with Spencer when they'd met, but ever since, he'd been distant and cold towards her, and to be honest, she had no idea why. As she looked over the room to sneak a look at him, he still wasn't looking at her, and instead, had an annoyed grimace on his face. "Great," He was muttering under his breath, and Amy blushed scarlet. She wasn't the only one who noticed Reid's annoyance, the always perceptive Garcia and Morgan immediately caught onto it too.

"Anyway, your flight will leave later tonight. We'll brief you when you get here." Gideon said finally, before the screen faded into black. JJ stood up, disappearing to her office, and awkwardly, Amy stood up. "So, you ready for this, husband?" She asked Reid, laughing weakly. Spencer turned, his eyes flashing.

"Are you implying that I'm not able to handle an undercover case? Just because you're a new agent here, and you're already Ms Popular doesn't mean you can presume false things about me," He snapped, before turning and walking off almost arrogantly. Amy watched him go, her mouth a perfect 'O', before Garcia whistled lowly, shooting Amy a sympathetic smile and stood up, hurrying out of the room. Morgan walked up to Amy, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about him, he's still getting used to the new beautiful woman working with him," He joked feebly, but Amy barely noticed his attempt. "I don't understand what he has against me," She sighed, and met Morgan's eyes miserably. "Don't worry, he'll come around." Derek added, smiling at her. Amy smiled back, she couldn't help it; Derek had proven himself today to be more than just a ninny-head jerk, not that she had been thinking along those lines at all.

_But, we are at work. And we are co-workers…_

"Thank you, Derek." She said softly, before standing up abruptly. "I'm going to go home and pack." She added shortly, turning to leave… but not before offering him a small smile in compensation.

* * *

"Okay pretty boy, you have to tell me what your problem is with our current brunette babe." Garcia called, folding her arms and leaning against one of the walls in the break room, smoothening her red, black and white patterned peasant skirt down neatly. Reid sighed huffily, shrugging.

"I have no idea what you're-"

"Don't even try that crap with the all knowing Garcia around, you. Now, tell me the truth, and now please." Garcia beamed, folding her hands in front of her expectantly. Reid sighed loudly, before raking a hand through his limp waves of hair. Reid was intelligent, a genius. And, he noticed things; he profiled people and places without even trying. It was pure instinct, so when Amy had arrived, he had definitely noticed her. He had noticed how Amy and JJ seemed to be getting really friendly really fast. He had noticed how Gideon almost immediately respected her, most likely the way she handled things with a surprising maturity. He noticed how Garcia had an instant adoration for the pretty Amy. He noticed how Hotch acted differently around her, happier- as if her abundantly carefree, positive attitude rubbed off on him. He noticed how Morgan continued to flirt with her, and looked at her with hopeful eyes that no one on the team had seen before in him. And mostly, he noticed how much all of that irritated him.

"It's just… what's so great about her anyway? You and JJ are acting like she's your new best friend, like she's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Morgan's acting like she's his dream girl, what with all those flirty smiles and innuendos. It's ridiculous! They've been on one date! They work together! And Hotch? Hotch goes so easy on her, and acts as if she's the greatest agent around, just because she came from the DC sex crimes unit. Even Gideon respects the hell out of her! And she's been here three days!" Reid's voice got louder and louder, his eyes flashing. Garcia blinked, holding out a hand. "Okay. Reid sweetie, everyone likes her so much because she is a really great agent, and an even better person. Maybe you should just give her a chance. It sounds like you're judging her before you even get to know her." Reid frowned, shrugging.

"I guess," He sighed, shrugging. "But I just don't see what's so special about her." He added stubbornly, and Garcia hid a smile. "Does someone have a _crush _on this current brunette babe?" She lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. "Crazed genius boy falls for the beautifully mysterious new FBI agent and steals her away from the typical hunky leading man… it's practically the storyline of a dirty book." She winked, before Reid exploded. "I don't like her! Are you insane? I couldn't like her if I tried! Jeez, Garcia. I-I've got to go pack, anyway." He snapped, turning and stalking away. Garcia watched him go, smiling and shaking her head ruefully.

* * *

Amy was heading out, when Garcia stopped her with a hand on the shoulder. She knew it was Garcia before even glancing over, because of the thick, musky scent that she had recognized as Garcia's only three days into knowing her. It was oriental, fruity, exotic and so Garcia, that it was the biggest giveaway. So when Amy simply smiled and said dryly, "Yes Pen?" Garcia squealed loudly, shrieking, "are you _psychic? _Is that why you're such a good profiler? Because you're _psychic?_"

Amy rolled her eyes, laughing and turning around. "Nope, I'm just every observant. What's up?" Garcia hesitated visibly, before continuing on bravely. "Okay, so, don't hate me, but I'm sort of a massive stalker. And I stalked you. You know, why you resigned from DC, that sort of thing…" Amy froze, her back stiffening. "You… you know?" She whispered, her eyes growing wide and panicky. Garcia stumbled around anxiously. "I mean, well, yeah, and I'm sorry, it's just who I am, I'm dangerously nosy, and I swear I won't tell anyone, not even Jayj-" Amy cut her off. "Penelope. That's fine. You're a tech goddess anyway, I'm surprised it took you this long… just; can you really try and not tell anyone? I'm trying to act like it never happened." She looked down awkwardly, and Garcia felt her heart go out to her, seizing her in an impulsive hug.

"Of course I won't! I swear upon my 260GB Flash Memory drive that I won't tell anybody, my love." Amy laughed, hugging Garcia back. "Thanks P." As Garcia pulled away, she had a smile on her face. "You know, about Reid… he may seem like he doesn't like you that much now, but you gotta just keep trying." Amy smiled, nodding. "Okay." Garcia grinned, her eyes sparkling. "And with Morgan… I'm pretty sure he likes you quite a lot, so you're lucky. A man with that foxy face? Kudos, my dear, kudos." Amy laughed, and Garcia grinned back. "You go pack now, my ravishing brunette angel." And with another laugh, Amy nodded, and walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: _**review review review.**

**

* * *

**

"Welcome to our humble jet." Amy stepped gingerly onto the jet, an awed look falling over her face before she turned, beaming. "It's awesome." She grinned, and Morgan shrugged coolly. "If you like that sort of thing… but yeah, it totally rocks." He grinned impishly, making Amy laugh. "How long is the flight?" Morgan asked, as Amy set her bags down and plopped onto one cushy seat, as he moved so he was sitting beside her.

"Probably a few hours," She sighed, smiling at him. "Thanks for showing me the jet. An FBI private jet always needs a personal tour," She added teasingly, making him smile. "Anytime. So, I guess our next date's going to be cancelled, huh?" Amy shrugged, dimpling a smile at him. "Guess so. Too busy being a Californian housewife… oh well, then." She smiled, avoiding his gaze flirtatiously, before she felt his hand on her elbow. "When you get back?" he asked softly, and she smiled directly at him.

"Sure, Derek." She murmured. "Great." He grinned widely at her. "I have something for you," he continued, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a creased book. He eyes widened when she looked at the cover. "A Kurt Vonnegut?" She squealed, beaming. He shrugged, smiling at her. "Autographed, actually. And mine! So don't lose it. Just something for you to read on the jet." He shrugged lightly, but she grinned, placing the book on the side table and throwing her arms exuberantly around his neck. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear, pulling back to smile at him. It was then that she noticed just how close they were standing… when he leaned in and kissed her. Desperation kicked in with the horribly delicious kiss as she felt his hand slowly seeping up her side…

"Derek," She managed to breathe out, and he brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes before stepping back. "Have a fun time, beautiful." He murmured, pecking her cheek gently, as she sat down, feeling wobbly. She managed a smile at him, as with one final grin, he turned and walked out of the jet.

Amy was sitting on the jet in contemplative silence, reading Derek's book, when Reid stumbled on, a mess of awkward clumsiness as he fumbled with a small black suitcase. She looked up, and his hazel eyes met hers, and he looked away immediately. Amy sighed, and turned back to her book, as the jet slowly started up. Thick, awkward silence hung in the air, as Amy struggled to concentrate on her book, feeling Reid's eyes on her. Finally, she placed the book down carefully and looked up, meeting his gaze. He looked away rapidly, but she continued staring, until finally, he lashed out.

"_What?" _Amy nearly smirked, but she contained it. "Okay, Agent Reid? I'm not exactly sure why you don't like me, but we are going to be pretending to be married on this case, so maybe it 's best you try and act like you don't want to rip my head off. Okay?" Reid frowned, fumbling with his fingers agitatedly. Amy made a mental note of this in her head. "I don't dislike you." He mumbled shortly, and Amy laughed sharply. "I'm a profiler, Spencer. I can tell when someone dislikes me. And you _really_ dislike me."

Spencer sighed, looking awkward and uncomfortable.

"Can I just ask you one question?" She continued, and when he didn't say anything, she continued on bravely. "Why? What did I do that made you dislike me this much?" Spencer looked up, staring at her darkly. "It's not you… it's who you are." This caused Amy to frown; confused. "Let me explain. Look, you've only been part of the team three, four days. You've already got glowing approval from the entire team- you're practically best friends with JJ and Garcia, Hotch actually talks to you, Gideon respects you and Morgan's already into you. They just… they like you so much, and it hasn't even been a week. It's been _three days._" Amy was quiet, still looking at him thoughtfully. While he had been talking, his voice had been trembling, and he had seemed distressed, almost.

"And not only that, but you're obviously a really good agent, because you're from the DC Pentagon unit, which is completely prestigious. And the way you think is completely different from anyone else on our team. It's just… it's just really unfair." Amy raised an eyebrow at him, urging him to continue.

"When I started with the team, it was really hard for me to get them to like me, to get them to accept me, even. I felt like an outsider with that team for so long. Even now, I'm not close to Hotch, or JJ. It's always been hard. People just don't… they just don't like me. And you, you just come out of the blue, and everyone falls in love with you. You make all these friendships without even trying, and you're a good agent, without even trying. I had to work so hard to get respect and alliance from the team! And you?" His voice grew louder, and he sighed, stopping himself.

"Anyway, it's unfair, and I'm sorry." Amy was quiet, thoughtful. "You know," She began softly. "The team really does respect you. You might not see it, but I do. And they have a reason to be; you're a bloody genius, Spencer. And I get why you dislike me, but honestly, I'm not that bad." Spencer nodded awkwardly, looking at the floor of the jet. Amy was quiet too, before speaking up again. "We're good?" She asked hesitantly, and Spencer nodded, meeting her eyes finally. "Yeah." Amy nodded. "Good." With that, she turned back to her book.

Spencer had been watching her for eight minutes and forty-two seconds, just profiling her. After his outburst, he had almost expected her to break the window of the jet and fly out in disgust, but instead, she had remained calm and even surprisingly… understanding. Nice. It was like she had perceptively sensed he didn't want to speak anymore after his outburst, and had quietly returned to her novel. Even now, if she sensed him watching her, she didn't show it.

She nibbled her lip lightly in concentration as she read, and her eyebrows would crease every now and then in thought. A fleeting smile would flicker over her face every few moments, making her entire face light up. Her hair was falling in her face, but she'd brush it away approximately every ninety seconds, and she was reading a Kurt Vonnegut novel, which, Reid knew for a fact, was one of Morgan's favourites. In fact, if his eyes spoke the truth, she was reading Morgan's tattered and autographed copy, her eyes scanning each page.

Spencer watched her for a moment longer, in thought. Garcia's words, '_do you have a crush on our current brunette babe?' _came floating back inside his mind, but instead of being connected with a fierce indignant feeling, he instead felt himself blushing, and he looked out of the window, tearing his gaze away from her and instead, to the rolling sapphire skies, trying to refocus his mind.

* * *

Morgan walked a path he knew all too well, walking past the bullpen where all the busy FBI agents were working, past Hotch and Gideon's deserted offices… and into a darkened room lit up only by the glow of computer screens.

Garcia's lair, as she liked to call it.

"My chocolate coated sugar! Welcome, what calls you forth to the great Garcia?" She called out, waving a pink painted hand from where she was sitting at her desk. He grinned and loped over. "Hey lady. Just finished all my paperwork, and nothing from Reid or Amy yet. So, I'm bored." Garcia smiled, turning to face him. "Boredom is never a real reason to visit my safe haven, and you know that. Speak now, my prince." Morgan laughed, shaking his head at Garcia's quirkiness.

"… Do you think Reid and Amy will be… you know, doing all the stuff married couples er, do?" Garcia turned to face him fully, smirking. "Our little boy genius and brunette babe doing the dirty? Doubt it. It's the FBI, not a prostitution ring-" Morgan cut her off, laughing nervously. "Garcia. No. Not sex. Making out, and stuff. PDA." Garcia shrugged. "Probably. They do have to act like a real newlywed couple, and they can't if they're afraid of each other's cooties… why, jealous Reid gets to kiss your girl before you?" Morgan smirked, regaining some of his confidence.

"Nah. I just didn't think Reid would want to kiss what I have…" Garcia straightened, her eyes widening. "You've kissed her! Details." She breathed, and he shrugged nonchalantly, but his dark eyes were sparkled wickedly.

"Twice times. And damn, does that girl know how to kiss. Didn't she tell you?" Garcia sighed dramatically, flinging her hands up in the air. "Nope. Girl doesn't tell us anything." She stole a glance at Morgan slyly, who was playing with one of her slinkies. "Do you like her?" Garcia pounced, and Morgan blinked. "Wh-What? I mean, I just met her; we haven't even been on a-" Garcia cooed loudly. "You _like _her! I never thought I'd see the day when Morgan wanted more out of a girl than physical acts that shall not be mentioned here." Morgan flushed. "Garcia-" he began dangerously, but Garcia winked at him. "Don't worry my little muffin, your secret is safe with me. In fact, I can help you. I know the ways of our brunette babe's mind." Morgan looked at her thoughtfully. "Yeah?" He questioned, grabbing a chair. Garcia nodded confidently. "Oh yeah."

* * *

"So. Act like a couple. Be convincing. Talk to a lot of people; spend a lot of time outdoors and indoors. Don't be introverted. Got it." Amy rattled off her fingers, smiling affirmatively at both Hotch and Gideon. "Just… try and get a suspicious face. Report to us every three days. There's four days until he kills again, and we're guessing he stalks them first, so try and get around as much as you can. And be convincing- he goes for the most loved up couples." Gideon said authoritatively, before the car door closed and Reid and Amy were left alone awkwardly.

"So. Can you be convincing? I know I can," Amy said bluntly, and Reid blinked nervously. "I-I, I mean yeah, but isn't Morgan annoyed, aren't you his girlfriend… but yeah it's a case, I can, I can be convincing." He stammered, and Amy watched him bemusedly. "Morgan isn't my boyfriend. And I'm sure he'd be fine with it." She smiled at him, making him feel very nervous indeed. "Edgar Allen Poe," He said quickly, making her smile. On the rest of the plane trip and drive to the California FBI unit, they'd developed a quick game. They'd say an author, book, music artist or food that they loved, and the other would agree or disagree. This led to some enthused conversations and even more enthused arguments. Reid was pleasantly surprised to learn that Amy was intelligent, sarcastic, funny and interesting, and shared very similar interests to him.

"He's amazing." She agreed, and Reid smiled. "The Raven? So creepy. But yet creepily good." Amy added, and Reid nodded, still smiling. "Exactly."

The car was approaching the honeymoon motel, and when Amy looked at it, she couldn't help but cringe. It was hideously tacky. A man dressed up as a cupid waited outside the foyer as the car pulled up, and Amy took the opportunity to look Reid in the eye as their driver grabbed their bags. "Spencer. Remember. I'm Amy Williams, and you're Spencer Williams. We got married two weeks ago, and we just returned from a honeymoon in Hawaii, but it just wasn't long enough. We met in high school, and we're high school sweethearts. We're looking to buy a house in Beverly Hills together after this." She looked him square in the eye, and he nodded.

"Ready?" He gulped and nodded, and she smiled slowly at him. "Okay." She reached down and entangled her fingers in his, before they hopped out of the car together. The sunlight was horribly fierce, and Reid cringed when it hit his pale skin. It was way too hot for him to wear his usual cardigan and slacks, so he was instead wearing baggy beige board shorts, and a baggy white t-shirt that made him look even skinnier than usual. He was wearing his retro style tortoiseshell sunnies, over his wavy long unkempt hair, and stood there awkwardly.

He surveyed his surroundings briefly; a young Asian couple were walking past, and eyed them both sceptically. _Probably wondering what such a geek like me is doing married to… her. _He cast his eyes to Amy, who was beaming, standing beside him and still holding his hand, leaning into him and gushing about the architecture or something. She was wearing a tight black singlet top, which accentuated her curves, and olive shorts that cut off about halfway on her thighs, her usually free hair tied up in a peppy ponytail.

Reid took the moment to admire her, before mentally slapping himself. What was he doing? _Acting the part, _a voice in his head argued reasonably. A sullen looking middle-aged man dressed as a cupid directed them to the main foyer, Amy still gushing and cooing about how happy she was.

As they entered the huge, obnoxious foyer, where about two couples were waiting already, they sat down on one of the waiting couches. "Copy them." Amy mumbled under her breath, and Reid looked over. The two couples were both sitting down, one couple looking terse and awkward, another couple were sitting in each other's arms, whispering and giggling, kissing every now and then.

Reid awkwardly sat down, opening his gangly arms. Amy slid into them easily, and he was alarmed at just how soft she was, but he closed his hold on her gently. He inhaled, taking in her sweet smell- something floral and yet feminine, and horribly addictive. _Play the part, _a voice in his head commanded as he leaned in and planted a shaky kiss on her neck. She stiffened in surprise, before wrapping her own arms around his neck, and smiling softly at him.

"Hey baby, I'm so happy." She said excitedly, leaning in so her forehead was pressed against his. His heartbeat felt like it was going to thump out of his chest, when she was this close, he could see how her brown eyes were actually not just ordinary brown at all, but instead, a rich chocolate colour, flecked with a thousand different browns. And how she good she smelt…

"I'm so happy too… gorgeous." Reid said nervously, but his voice came out smooth and natural. Amy raised an eyebrow, smiling at him encouragingly before leaning in and burrowing her head in the crook of his shoulder, and he kissed her neck again, before leaning in and just pressing his lips against the soft stretch of skin, smelling her. _It's all just a set up, _he told himself sternly, but yet he couldn't stop his heart from racing.

"Mr and Mrs Williams?" An elderly voice called, and Spencer and Amy stood up. "Come on, baby." She squealed, grabbing his hand and dragging him over.

Spencer couldn't talk, he just watched her, enraptured, and before he knew it, she had their key and she was dragging them off together.

* * *

Their room was small but cosy, and had a huge sprawling bed and a bottle of champage at the ready. "CCTV camera." She mumbled to him quietly when they walked in, and subtly, Spencer cast an eye to the ceiling- and surely enough, there was a tiny but noticeable camera embedded on the roof, in perfect view of both the sofa and the bed.

"Looks like maybe our Unsub watches the tapes." She whispered in his ear, her breath tickling his face. "…And he probably takes them somewhere else in the apartment to kill them and reposition them." Reid could barely nod. "So, he could be watching right now. If we've made a good first impression, then we should keep up with this act. Follow my lead, okay?" She finished her spiel with a kiss on his cheek, and winking at him coyly, disappeared into the bathroom.

Seconds later, she emerged, wearing only a black bra and a set of boy shorts. It was relatively demure, as far as underwear went, but her body and grace pulled it off as Spencer swallowed thickly. She sat up on the bed, using her finger to reel him in. The second he was there; she looked in him in the eye. "You ready?" She asked, her voice slipping from fake happy couple to soft and husky. "Yeah." He murmured, a strange confidence slipping over him as he locked his hands around her neck. He swallowed, looking down at the girl in front of him, the girl he was hovering on top of. She looked so, so beautiful, her chocolate brown hair spread out around her, her face carefully neutral, but he saw unfamiliar emotions flickering behind her beautiful eyes.

He had to move, and now. Slowly, so slowly, he bent his head down, letting his mouth carefully brush against hers, enjoying the sharp intake of her breath when he did. It was a tender kiss, soft and caring, as her tongue snuck it's way into his mouth, and he breathed out in desire, intensifying the sweet kiss into something not so sweet.

She was so warm beneath him, so invitingly, horribly soft. He pressed her down further into the mattress, and he heard the contented sigh against his lips, making him feel even more excited, as she was arching her way up into him, making the whole scenario fantastic and horrible at the same time- fantastic and delightful and amazing because she was slowly, slowly grinding her hips into his, and horrible because he knew it couldn't go further, and because he knew it was all some pretend act.

His hands trailed down to her waist, and her fingers gripped the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling it off. He was self-conscious for a moment, of his skinny concave chest, but she barely seemed to notice, attacking his lips with a ferocity that surprised him. _She's acting; _he reminded himself shakily, as they kissed, hungrily and more hungrily until a loud, shrill ringing interrupted them. Blinking, Reid slowly, reluctantly rolled off of her, breathing heavily as she straightened, running to her phone. He watched her go, in a state of dazed shock. He'd never done that before, making out- he'd only kissed one girl before, and he hadn't felt anything for her. But this? Making out, on a bed, with a girl in her underwear, a girl who was not only the most amazing kisser but made him feel so…

Reid froze, realizing. All the puzzles clicked together in his head.

He liked Amy. Kissing her was like nothing else, her beauty was like nothing else. And although she may be the one pretending, he wasn't, and he was falling for her, fast.

Amy leapt away from the bed, shivering, feeling almost dizzy as she grabbed her phone, answering without even checking the Caller ID.

"Hello?" She breathed briskly, sneaking a look at Reid, who was watching her shyly.

"Hey you." She nearly choked, hearing Morgan's smooth voice. "Derek," She said shakily, glancing again at Reid, feeling guilty when she saw his face fall.

"How are things?" Amy blinked, still unable to concentrate. Why was it that, when Reid kissed her, she felt tingles and electricity everywhere, and when Derek kissed her, the whole world slipped away and all she could focus on was him?

When Reid was kissing her, he had transformed from gangly awkward genius to a confident, assuring man. He kissed with a gentle mouth, and was expressive, and sweet, and…

"Amy?" Amy blinked, feeling guilty. Reid was acting; she was acting. She had a… she had a Derek Morgan waiting for her. "I'm fine." She said finally, glancing at Reid again, who was now lying on the bed. Memories of their fevered kisses flashed back in her mind… "So, how's California?" Amy forced herself to concentrate.

"California's great. Sunny. I…I miss you." She said earnestly, surprised when the words came out of her mouth. But it was true; she really did miss him.

But could you miss a guy and still want to kiss the _other_ guy lying on your, er, honeymoon bed?

"I miss you too." Derek replied simply, but his voice was tinged with fondness that Amy never recognized in the golden player types that she knew so well. _Could it be… Derek's not as much as player as I perceived? _She wondered vaguely.

"Anyway, I should let you go. Stay safe, girl." He added, and Amy smiled. "You too. Bye, Derek." She hung up, sitting there awkwardly for a moment before putting her phone away and going back to the bed. She watched Reid for a moment; he was lying down, his eyes closed fixedly, clearly deep in thought.

She leaned in and gently, gently pressed her lips against his, causing his eyes to flutter open, before she pulled away. "Thanks." She said softly, and he nodded, understanding passing between them.

"So, do you want to walk around?" She finally asked, and he nodded, sitting up.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, and Amy was surprised when he slid an arm around her waist. _He's a good actor, I guess… _She thought faintly, but doubt rung in her head when she saw the look in his eyes. She recognized that look. She had seen that look in her past boyfriend's eyes, Aidan, before she had run away from that relationship.

And, she had seen that look in Morgan's eyes when he had given her the Kurt Vonnegut book on the jet.

_Shit._


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: _**review review review.**

**

* * *

**

Reid watched her floating in the pool, not sure what to do. She was beautiful as anything, in an electric blue bikini… but he promised himself not to think that. After hearing her soft, _I miss you _to Morgan; he had been slapped back to reality. Reality was, they were acting.

_But, we can be friends, right? Good friends. _He decided, watching her. She was floating in the pool, chatting to a bunch of other newlyweds, gushing and complimenting him, no doubt. He had no idea what she was saying, but it was causing a lot of the young brides to look at him appreciatively, something that had never been done before.

He caught her eye, and she smiled softly at him before turning her attention back to another bleached blonde newlywed.

God, he wanted to kiss her again.

_No! You can't. _He told himself fiercely, but paused in thought. _We're posing as a newlywed couple. Surely, I can kiss her and act like she's my new bride on this case, right…? Just for now. And when it's over, and we're back in Quantico, she can go back to Morgan and I'll just forget about it all._

Reid nodded, trying to assure himself. But he knew better than anyone forgetting was much easier said than done.

* * *

"He's really _that _good in bed?" One of the newlyweds, a pretty redhead called Quinn, looked at her with revering eyes. Amy simply nodded soberly. "So good. Unbelievable. It's sort of not fair to the rest of mankind, really." She watched in satisfaction as all the six newlyweds turned to eye Spencer appreciatively. He blushed and looked at her, and she smiled at him.

God, she was in trouble.

Spencer was _great. _Now that he had decided not to hate her anymore, she had discovered just how he was sweet, and caring, and smart. He was a good friend, and a great kisser. But, that was just that… she didn't have feelings for him.

Of course she didn't.

_Of course, I wouldn't mind making out with him again. _She smirked to herself, and sighed, her mind drifting back to Morgan. _Maybe he should've been the one to pose as my fake-husband. _But looking over at Spencer, who was staring off in to the distance thoughtfully, she couldn't help but smile and feel happy that it was Reid who was her fake husband on this case.

* * *

Morgan felt eyes on him the moment he walked into the workroom.

Garcia's eyes, and JJ's eyes, no doubt. They watched him as he sat down slowly, taking a sip from his takeaway coffee and feeling way too deer in the headlights.

"Okay, what is it?" He finally exploded, eyeing them both. "You guys have never checked me out so much since I first started at the BAU!" He joked, but the girls weren't laughing. If anything, they looked… dreamy.

Dreamy? Morgan frowned. And then it clicked.

"Garcia? You told JJ?" Garcia didn't even have the courtesy to cringe and apologize; she simply smiled contentedly. "You miss Amy, don't you?" She grinned. Morgan blinked. _Yes. _"What? No," He stammered wildly. "I know you called her two hours ago. I tell you, I know everything." Garcia cackled triumphantly. Morgan frowned. Yes, he did miss Amy, but so what? She had said it first.

"Okay girls," He rolled his eyes. "They've only got three days, until they hopefully get targeted so we can bring this unsub down." JJ smirked. "And so you can have your object of true affection back?" She deadpanned, as Morgan gave her an evil glare.

"I meant Reid," JJ said, struggling to keep her face serious, and Morgan couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Amy jumped onto the huge double bed, giggling as she burrowed into the downy covers happily. So far, this undercover case had been nothing but a vacation basking in the Californian sun, chatting to some airheads about how in 'love' she and Spencer were and enjoying herself.

Spencer walked in the room a few moments later, carrying all of their poolside things. Amy blushed and stood up sheepishly as he dropped the bags on the floor. "Thanks," She called earnestly, before walking to him and hugging him briefly. What was meant to be a thankful quick friendly hug turned into more when she felt Spencer's arms slip tightly around her lower waist, drawing him to her.

She stood there stiffly for a moment, debating quickly in her head what to do next. Firstly, she decided, Spencer was her co-worker and a new friend. But they did have to portray a convincing image of loved up newlywed couple, so it only took a moment of thought before she curled her arms around the back of his neck.

"You hungry?" She stared into his face thoughtfully, up this close; she noticed firstly that Spencer had a really good complexion. Creamy, flawless and pretty much perfect- except for the faint dark circles under his hazel eyes. She couldn't help but feel faintly jealous.

"Amy?" He was looking uncertain now, hesitant. Much more the Reid she knew.

"Um, yeah sure. Do you want to grab something to eat?" She said in a rush, feeling her cheeks heat up as he nodded, and with a final lingering smile, headed over to the phone, dialling room service. But she could sense him watching her, and she wondered yet again exactly to what extent Reid's feelings were for her.

Amy scowled to herself and lay back down on the bed heavily. As if her life wasn't complicated enough.

* * *

Amy grinned, her mouth full of egg roll and dim sum. The initial doubt over Reid's true feelings had disappeared with the arrival of Chinese takeout, and they'd spent some time eating and laughing.

"…I mean, don't get me wrong, going out to clubs and stuff with the team's fun- until you look over at Hotch sitting down in the corner, watching everybody with his eyebrow furrowed like this." Reid demonstrated, making Amy giggle appreciatively.

"I know what you mean. Sometimes, I wonder if his face cracks after he smiles." She winked playfully, taking a sip from her glass of wine.

"Do you go out clubbing with the team often?" She continued, using her chopsticks to nimbly steal a fried dumpling off of Reid's plate.

"About once every month, more in the holiday season. It's always really fun- JJ beats the guys at darts, sometimes scores a number from one of them, Garcia socializes and drinks, Hotch and Gideon talk about life and other intellectual things, and Morgan dances. I ah… well, there's this Star Trek club, and we um, we play a Trek drinking game…"

Amy smirked. "I love Star Trek," She said casually, not catching the awed look Reid gave her. "But I have to say, when I come to these team club meetings, I might be partying wildly instead of doing smart stuff." She joked, and Reid shook his head, his eyes intense.

"No… you'd be standing somewhere, while all the guys stared at you and tried to work up the nerve to get your number." Amy hesitated, meeting his intent gaze, before brushing it off with a shaky laugh and averting his gaze, wondering if Reid saw himself as one of those men in that scenario.

Reid couldn't help the fond smile as he watched her flop back onto their bed tiredly, giggling infectiously nonetheless. "I'm so full!" She exclaimed, laughing happily. He loved watching her laugh. In fact, he loved watching her, full stop. As creepy as that sounded, it was the truth.

Like an alien force took over his body, he strode over, telling himself to try and project confidence as he too, climbed on the bed. She looked at him with unreadable eyes.

"Hey." She said shortly, softly. He smiled down at her, and responded with a long kiss.

As always, he felt his heart beat faster, and he wondered idly what it was about this girl that had captivated him from the moment he had laid eyes on her.

She kissed him back for a moment, before pulling away. Her eyes were cast away from him, and he suddenly felt tiny, alone and confused.

"Reid. Maybe we should just sleep; I'm really tired." She said quietly, and each word made Reid's heart ache just a little bit, the sting of rejection sizzling for a moment.

"Sure." He said quietly, not able to meet her eyes.

She had called him Reid… not Spencer.


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: _**review review review.**

**

* * *

**

She woke up the next morning, still feeling guilty. After that awkward scenario last night, when she had turned her fake husband down and seen the pain in his eyes that he'd unsuccessfully tried to hide, she'd felt terrible. And now, at 11AM in the morning with two days to go until the Unsub killed again, she woke up alone.

Well, not quite alone. She woke up beside a sleeping, gangly figure, and she couldn't help smiling. Reid looked so different asleep- so innocent, so peaceful, so young. She wondered if waking him up was appropriate, but decided against it and padded out of the bedroom, grabbing her phone. After a quick check, she deemed she had two text messages and one voice mail, and sat down to check them.

**Hey girl; just thought I'd let you know your hunky piece of chocolate thunder misses you… more than you'd know! You're a lucky one, babe! –G**

Amy shook her head, smiling when she thought of Morgan. "_I miss you." _And the making out session that coincidentally, his kiss had interrupted…

**Hi, just thought I'd let you know that we all miss you down here, and we know you'll be back soon. -Alice**

Amy froze, staring at the text message. Alice was one of her colleagues when she had been working at the Pentagon. They all thought that her sudden transferral to the BAU was just a way for her to regain her footing after what had happened to her, and after she got it, she'd be back at the Pentagon. She remembered her old boss's words- "_Amy, this position in the Pentagon will always be open to you. You're one of the best we have." _She fluttered her eyelids closed, she hadn't thought about her old job and old life in a while now, and all the memories were flooding back. When she had been working with the Pentagon's main profiling team, a group of nine, she'd felt slightly detached and constantly alone- they operated as single units, and weren't friends, co-workers and courteous, but they didn't have the family feel that the BAU had. She'd been with the BAU for less than two weeks, but yet she was already incredibly close with the team.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she lifted her phone to her ear, hoping the voice mail would at least be a bit less nostalgic.

"…Blake, it's Agent Gideon and Hotch, we're just calling to let you know that we'll be stopping by around 12PM today. For the cover, we'll make it appear that we're friends stopping by. We have some new information for the case. We'll see you soon."

Amy glanced over at the clock hurriedly; it was 11:40 already. She rushed into the bedroom, where Reid was still slumped over the bed, his messy hair all over his face. She smiled, watching his sleeping figure for the quickest moment before peeling off her t-shirt and shorts, and slipping into a pretty white lacy eyelet dress, fluffing her hair and checking that she looked relatively businesslike and awake.

It was 11:50 when she leaned over and shook Reid awake. Odds were that Hotch and Gideon would be here early.

"Reid. Wake up…" He mumbled a protest, and she hesitated.

"Hotch and Gideon are going to be here in ten minutes." There was a beat of silence, when Reid suddenly jumped out of bed, moving in a flurry of movements.

"What? Why? You should've woken me up earlier!" He threw off his t-shirt, hastily throwing on a long-sleeved white shirt and cargo shorts.

"They have new information, they're posing as our friends coming to visit. And you were sleeping, how could I wake you up?" She teased, walking over and fussing over his hair quickly. "How do I look?" He asked, and she smiled. "Lovely."

They stared at each other, slightly transfixed, when the sound of a loud doorbell interrupted their moment. "I'll get it," Amy said hurriedly, walking over to the door.

She swung it open, smiling sunnily when she saw Hotch and Gideon there.

"Aaron! Jason! _Hi!_" She squealed, motioning them to enter. "Spence and I are so excited you came to visit!" Hotch raised an eyebrow at her as she closed the door behind them.

"Nice acting skills." He commented lightly, as Spencer walked out, all business.

"What's up?" He asked. "Let's go into the kitchen, the surveillance is out there." Amy murmured, trailing the three men into the kitchen, where Hotch and Gideon promptly sat down, arranging files around the table.

"We have someone in custody, who we believe is the murderer. They found a print at the first murder scene, which is traced back to him." Hotch showed both Reid and Amy a photo of a chubby, pale Asian man. "So, case over?" Reid asked, glancing at Amy.

"Looks that way. Reid, come back with us, the sex crimes unit in LA sent over a handwriting analysis, and we need you. Amy, if you could stay for another hour or so until checkout; that would be great. But good job you two, and I'll see you in Quantico." Hotch said calmly, nodding and gathering up his files. "So, you caught him? That's it?" Amy repeated, sounding slightly oblivious.

"That's it," Gideon reaffirmed. "Anyway, Reid, have you packed your things or do you need some time?" Reid paused. "Just ten minutes, Gideon." Gideon nodded, following Hotch, where he was walking out of the room.

"We'll be waiting in the Reception."

Amy turned to Reid after he had left, an amused glint in her eyes as Reid began to gather his things. "So it was all for nothing," She sighed, and Reid shrugged. "Guess so."

There was a heavy silence, when Amy looked up at him.

"Thanks for being great about this, Spencer." He smiled at her softly.

"No," He disagreed. "Thank _you._" And with that, he zipped up his suitcase, striding towards her. "You made this probably one of the best weekends of my life." Blushing slightly, he leaned forward and kissed her, long and sweetly, and Amy returned it unsurely- the kiss lacked the passion their earlier make out session had, and only held soft, caressing feelings of consideration, of caring, and if anything, that frightened her.

Reid touched her face carefully before turning and leaving- leaving Amy with her thoughts, conflicted and confused.

* * *

He watched as that guy left the room, carrying a suitcase. Creeping closer, he peeked inside one of the windows. She was standing in the middle of the room, looking slightly stunned, her brown hair framing her beautiful face perfectly. What was her name, the name he had heard her husband call her… _Amy. _"Amy." He tried aloud, breathing heavily. _She's so perfect… too perfect. _Rage filled his body, bitter hatred and longing consuming him. His eyes focused as he waited impatiently, waited to make sure no one would be coming to interrupt them.

He didn't want distractions while he was stabbing her.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey everyone. I hope you're enjoying the story. I'd really appreciate more reviews, feedback, criticism, even a simple 'I'm liking the story', because I've checked and I'm getting quite a lot of hits. So, reviews would be great. Oh, and enjoy!**

* * *

Amy took a deep, heavy breath, striding into the kitchen and grabbing the unfinished bottle of wine, pouring the thick red liquid into a glass. She took a hasty gulp, closing her eyes. Spencer's beautiful eyes after he'd kissed her that last time flashed in his mind, beside the image of Morgan's surprisingly gentle smile after he'd said goodbye to her on the plane.

She stared into the glass of red wine, taking another sip.

"Enjoying that drink, Amy?" A cold, chilling reptilian voice suddenly murmured in her ear. Amy froze, her neck stiffening. Her gut instinct screamed at her to run, as she spun around, gasping out a breath when she came face to face with a dark haired, flat eyed man. "Uh-uh, one movement, and I slash this pretty neck," He murmured, and Amy started trembling, the cold blade of a knife pressed against her neck.

"So beautiful," He whispered, trailing his fingers up and down her neck. "I wonder if…" He suddenly jerked, making a long shallow slit vertically up her neck. She choked out her pain, as he chuckled humourlessly.

_Those eyes… that laugh… _Amy choked back her memories, a thousand images flashing on repeat in her mind on repeat, unable to be stopped. Fear and terror emanated in her every cell- she'd lived this nightmare before.

Not again…

"Go on," She managed to grit out, her eyes darting behind him, searching for her gun- before remembering she'd tucked it inside a drawer on the opposite side of the room.

She was trapped.

"I thought they locked up the murderer," Amy managed to whisper, injecting as much terror into her voice as she could. It wasn't particularly difficult.

"They got the wrong man." He said bluntly, before leaning forward and gently brushing the outline of her lips. "Speaking of the wrong man, I've been watching you, Amy. That man you're with, completely wrong for you. You could do better…" His eyes glinted dangerously, as he touched the long trickle of blood that was seeping down her neck.

"I've been waiting for this." He laughed; low and dangerous… _it was her worst nightmare, all over again._

"Waiting for what?" Amy managed to whisper, already afraid of the answer.

"To kill you, of course." Amy watched as he lowered the knife only a fraction away from her skin, but it was enough. She suddenly jerked her body, twisting her knee up into his groin, using the reflexes that got her through FBI agent training double the time normal agents took to finish the course. He grunted in a mixture of pain and surprise, jerking his arm into her, and doubling over seconds later.

A sharp, searing, excruciating pain consumed Amy's body as she choked on air, looking down. Off to the side of her stomach was a jagged knife handle, sticking out of her stomach. She stared at the floor, where red was slowly starting to drip down.

_I'm going to die. _She turned around furiously, the pain throbbing and starting to make her world spin, seeing the psychotic man still bent over, growling.

She stumbled unsteadily across the room, her vision swirling as she clutched at the knife gingerly, not sure whether she should pull it out or not, but hurrying, yanked it out, grunting in pain. She fumbled as she got to the drawer, yanking it open… when suddenly, hands were behind her, jamming the drawer shut so fast she couldn't pull her fingers out, catching them.

She screamed out in pain, in unison to his horrible laughter, yanking her fingers free before he kicked her to the ground. "Now, now I'm going to kill you," He whispered, and Amy mustered up the most strength she could despite the swirls of pain pounding against her and she kicked out viciously against his knees, sending him tumbling to the ground.

It was enough time to jerk her sore, battered body up and fling open the drawer, ignoring the pounding pain in her fingers and stomach. Her fingers, so pained they felt like they had been broken, curled around the gun, before she turned. He was coming towards her, his eyes narrowed, dark and angry, when she shot. Twice. Three times. His body froze, a vicious snarl streaking across his face.

"This is not the end," He coughed out. "This is only the beginning." His eyes stared into hers before he choked, collapsing lifelessly.

She staggered around blindly, falling to the floor and collapsing in a pile. Pain throbbed everywhere, on her neck, in her stomach, in her fingers, but, through the spinning black spots that were in her eyes, but she fumbled in her back pocket, until her fingertips grazed the cool steel of her phone.

Blearily, through dizzy eyes, she listened to a dial tone, _once, twice, _her vision fading, her senses numbing, only the fiery pain getting her through and keeping her conscious.

"Hotchner." Amy choked on her words, before managing to say them.

"Unsub… stabbed… help." She whispered, before the phone dropped from her hand, and her vision finally blacked out.

* * *

Morgan walked into 'Garcia's Lair', where JJ and Garcia were sitting, talking in hushed, gossipy voices. "Just the man I wanted to see," Garcia suddenly squealed, beaming up at him. "They caught the dude! The psycho dude. He's in custody." Morgan grinned, suddenly feeling happier. "That means your _girl _is coming home," JJ added playfully, winking. Morgan folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not obsessed with Amy like you make it sound," He said sternly. "Okay. Answer us this then Morgan, what's your favourite thing about Amy?" Garcia demanded, and Morgan hesitated, thinking.

"I like the way she looks at me in a crowded room… like we're the only two people there." Morgan said finally, feeling embarrassed once the words had left his mouth. He never knew he could be so cheesy.

"_Aw!_" Garcia squealed, turning around when he phone began to ring shrilly.

"You never heard that," Morgan said hastily, as Garcia picked up her phone, still giggly.

"Penelope Garcia, tech goddess and general wonder woman…_what? _Oh my God. Yeah okay… we'll be there as soon as we can." Garcia turned to JJ and Morgan, her eyes huge. "Who was it, Garcia?" JJ asked worriedly.

"Hotch. We… we got the wrong guy. The wrong Unsub." She whispered.

"But that means…" JJ began, as Morgan stared at Garcia, his eyes widening in realization, horror settling over his features. Dread formed like a heavy ball of lead in his stomach before he even heard the words.

"Amy was attacked."

* * *

"So, if you look at how the handwriting tilts slightly to the left, it indicates that this person is methodical, cautious and practical." Reid finished, glancing at Gideon for approval.

"Good job. Just fax over the analysis tonight or tomorrow morning, and it should be fine." Gideon assured, and Reid nodded, smiling in satisfaction.

"How was your case with Agent Baik?" Gideon asked casually, gathering up his files. Reid hesitated; reminding himself to be careful- he was talking to one of the most legendary profilers in the FBI, after all, one who he not only greatly admired, but who was like a father to him.

"It was good." He managed to say finally, wincing at how awkward he sounded.  
"She's a really intelligent woman." He added quickly.

He could feel Gideon's gaze on him. "She's been on a few dates with Morgan, hasn't she?" He questioned lightly, and Reid fought to control his facial expression.

"A couple. They haven't really brought it up with Hotch yet, I don't think he knows… they're not really official or anything." Reid rambled, ducking his head in embarrassment as he hurriedly stuffed papers into his messenger bag.

"Reid…" Gideon's sentence was cut off by the quiet beeping of his phone. "Hold that thought." He said busily, holding the phone up to his ear gingerly. "Jason Gideon."

Reid let his concentration drift away, and back to that weekend. Back to Amy's smile, back to her lingering, expressive eyes. Back to the way she kissed him, passionately, sweetly and more importantly, her last kiss, the stunned look in her eyes afterwards.

Reid wondered if he had made a difference, if he had impacted her in any way.

If she would tell Morgan that she couldn't see him anymore, because she had feelings for someone else…

"Reid." Reid's head shot up, and he nodded at Gideon, thankful he couldn't read minds, but alarmed by the worried look in Gideon's eyes. Reid knew it took a lot to make Jason Gideon worried.

"We have to get to the State Hospital, the ICU ward," He said, his eyebrows furrowed. Reid's eyes widened, the Intensive Care Unit? "Why?" He questioned curiously. Gideon hesitated noticeably before replying slowly.

"It's Amy."

* * *

"Is she alive?" Morgan barked, standing up immediately and moving around the room restlessly. "Yes, but just barely. She's in the ICU unit now, they're about to go into operation." Garcia babbled, but Morgan was already up, nearly out of the room, already in SSA Agent Derek Morgan mode.

"We need to go." He half-yelled, storming away. He was too worried and tense to notice how JJ and Garcia were reacting, his mind focused purely on that pair of blue eyes he'd been missing for three days now.

Reid burst into the hospital, Gideon behind him. "Reid! Gideon!" They turned, seeing Garcia, JJ and an incredibly tense looking Morgan. Once in the ICU Ward, they spotted Hotch immediately, standing and looking more grim than usual.

"How is she?" They asked simultaneously, as Hotch shook his head, clearly distressed.

"Not good. They're not sure if… if she's going to make it through surgery." Reid blinked, stunned, as Morgan reeled back, clearly horrified.

"What happened?" Gideon managed to ask calmly.

"I don't know the full story. All I do know is that she was stabbed by the Unsub, and that he was shot three times and found dead in the apartment." Hotch answered worriedly.

"Who was the Unsub?" Gideon questioned, and Hotch sighed. "Harrison Caulfield. He was originally a guest at the hotel two years ago, but he worked in management there. He was one of the people we interviewed as a witness." Gideon looked down at the ground, distress on his lined face.

"What is the extent of her injuries?" Reid babbled nervously. "I don't know," Hotch said helplessly, as a solemn looking surgeon came towards them, hands on hips.

"Amy Blake?" He questioned, as they all nodded. "She's just gone into surgery now. She… simply put, she was stabbed pretty deeply in the stomach, and we're looking to see if she's damaged any major organs severely. She's also had three of her fingers badly broken and four dislocated, and has a quite deep surface wound on her neck. She's suffered from head trauma and extreme blood loss, and it's too soon to tell what the outcome will be."

From the corner of his eyes, Reid saw JJ grab Garcia's hand worriedly.

"She'll make it, though? She'll be okay?" Morgan asked suddenly, his arms folded in front of him. "I don't know," The surgeon answered helplessly, before turning and leaving.

The team sat in stunned silence, their entire worlds stunned.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Read and review. Or should I say, Reid and Review? Cheesy, I know :) Anyway, ENJOY.  
**

* * *

It had been a tirelessly terrible nine hours.

Garcia and JJ had called home before talking in hushed, worried voices on two chairs in the corner of the room. Reid had been sitting down on one chair, staring off into space with a guilty look on his face, downing coffee after coffee with shaky fingers. Hotch and Gideon were sitting nearby, also staring off into the distance, occasionally exchanging hushed words, with Hotch occasionally standing up to make a call while Gideon stared into the distance.

Morgan however, sat restlessly on the ground, leaning against the wall in a mix of fear worry and stress, completely silent.

"It's all my fault." He looked up, seeing Reid standing there, a look of distress on his pale, washed out face.

"What?" He managed to ask, and Reid looked down at him.

"It's all my fault… I should've stayed with her…" Morgan shook his head furiously.

"It's no one's fault, man. We can't pin blame in anyone," He managed to say bravely, trying not to think about the girl on the operating table.

Reid nodded, and took a desperate swig from his coffee cup.

"I really, really don't want to lose her right now, Reid. I just got to know her. This can't be the end." Morgan said in a strained voice, closing his eyes briefly.

"I know," Reid said quietly. "Believe me, I know."

* * *

The first thing Amy felt was pain, pain everywhere.

The second thing Amy felt was an almost burning in her eyes, because she was staring directly above into brightly lit lights, almost artificial light.

_Am I dead? _She hadn't realized she'd asked the question aloud until she heard an answering, unfamiliar chuckle.

"No, you're not. You're alive, and very lucky to be so."

She struggled to turn her gaze to the tall, elderly doctor who was standing by her side, smiling sympathetically at her. "Amy, you just got out of surgery four hours ago. You're in the ICU Ward, do you remember what happened?"  
Amy frowned. "No…" She began, surprised when she could barely get a word out, confused. "The last thing I remember is…" _Morgan, plane, Kurt Vonnegut… Eternal Bliss, Reid, the kiss… the Unsub, the knife, those eyes, deja vu… _she jerked suddenly, her breathing growing laboured. "He stabbed me," She whispered, looking down, her fingers probing the huge, thick bandage that covered her stomach and wincing when pain registered.

"It'll hurt for a long time- but you should be fine. You're lucky, you nearly had a lot of your major organs severely damaged." Her doctor assured her. She glanced down at her fingers- all nine bandaged ones, ones she literally couldn't move without pain blurring her vision.

"Mostly fractures or dislocations. They'll heal within two months." He added calmly, and Amy blinked, touching her neck. There was a thick white bandage there.

"15 stitches." The doctor told her carefully. "You just woke up, so if you like, you can have some more peace and rest. But there's a huge group of people waiting outside for you, if you'd like to see one or two." Amy paused, leaning back on her squishy pillow, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Could I see three, please?" She questioned, and the doctor nodded.

"Tell everyone I want to see them tomorrow… especially the girls. But right now, I really need to talk to Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid." The doctor nodded and walked out, leaving Amy alone with her thoughts.

"Amy. How are you feeling?" The first person in the room was Hotch, as simultaneously intimidating and professional looking as ever in his sharp black suit. Amy managed to smile weakly at him as Morgan and Reid brushed in, their faces equally urgent.  
"How are you? Are you feeling okay?" Morgan asked worriedly at the same time as Reid exclaimed, "I'm so sorry Amy, I never should've left you alone."  
Amy blinked, laughing awkwardly. "I'm fine… seriously, never felt better. And look, the bandages suit me, right?" She managed to joke feebly.  
Hotch patted her arm awkwardly. "I'm glad to know you're feeling okay. And we're all very happy you're in a safe condition. I'll be outside, Amy." Hotch told her kindly, before leaving.  
"I'm so glad you're okay." Morgan breathed the second Hotch was gone. Amy glanced down at her hand as Morgan wrapped his fingers around them extremely gently as not to hurt her.  
"So am I, believe me." Amy managed to laugh shakily.

"Amy…" Amy glanced up, her hand still intertwined with Morgan's. Reid stared up at her, his eyes earnest.

"Spencer," She murmured, and he blinked awkwardly. "I'm-"

"Don't be sorry." She told him firmly, meeting his eyes. Reid nodded, opening his mouth to say something else, but Morgan had leaned into Amy, kissing the top of her head gently, before wrapping her into a soft hug. Over his shoulder, Amy met Reid's eyes, and something passed between them. Understanding- they knew what had happened on the case was between them, and it would stay between them. Reid couldn't expect anything to happen anyway- Morgan was Morgan, and he was _him. _Geeky, super smart, unsociable Spencer Reid.

But yet when he turned to leave the room, turning back to see Morgan and Amy smiling tenderly at each other, he couldn't help but feel his heart break a tiny bit.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Read and review. Or should I say, Reid and Review? Cheesy, I know :) Anyway, ENJOY.  
**

* * *

"I'm ready to work. I'm so healthy, it's weird."

Morgan gave Amy a sceptical look, shaking his head thoroughly and placing a tray in front of her. She stared down blankly, before throwing her hands down dramatically and sighing loudly.

"Derek, I love the thought, but if I have more chicken soup I will cry. And my tears will be made of creamy chicken sauce." Derek stifled a laugh and sat on her bed, smiling fondly at her.

After a week in the hospital, going stir crazy, she'd been allowed to return home- with three more weeks of bed rest. Garcia had set up her temporary lair in her small flat to help the team and her, keeping Amy updated on all of the cases she was missing- murdered school children in Arizona, a missing trio of elderly home patients in Seattle, and a series of brutal murders in Kentucky. As creepy as it sounded, Amy regretted missing the BAU when they had cases by the dozen and not _paperwork _by the dozen.

Instead, she was at home, reading chick lit books and eating soup.

At least, when the team was home, they all took it in turns to visit her. By this time, Amy had become very attached to JJ and Garcia, and the trio were regular best friends. Gideon and Hotch were still authority figures, but were almost fatherly to her now. Morgan was there all the time, making her soup (the only thing he could make) and spending time with her -she was still a bit fragile, so they couldn't exactly make out, but they did spend some time intimately- but most importantly, Spencer dropped by a few times with Edgar Allen Poe collections and chocolate brownies.

The first time he'd come by, she had been alone. Despite the initial awkwardness and memory of the kisses they'd shared, they'd slipped into a comfortable friendship, and Amy had remembered just how much fun it was to just hang out with Spencer, debating against the merits of Hemingway's literature. He understood her, knew exactly how to make her laugh, smile; feel better.

"Amy?" Looking up guiltily, Amy managed a warm smile at Derek. Derek may not know her inside out yet, but he had proven himself to be weirdly considerate.

"I'm practically all better," Amy continued pointedly, and Derek laughed at her, shaking his head. "True, but look at it this way, babe- only two more days."

Amy rolled her eyes and fell against her bed, sighing. "Easy for you to say. You can go out, have fun. Chase some Unsubs. Know what fresh oxygen feels like. Eat something other than creamy chicken soup." Through her pillow, she could hear his answering laughter.

* * *

"Hey you." Reid's head shot up, a smile splitting across his face. "Amy!" He grinned, resisting a hug. Instead, he gave her a warm smile. "It's great to have you back." Amy shrugged nonchalantly, sitting down beside him, but her eyes were sparkling. "My hands are nearly all better, just a bit sore," She told him, showing him her fingers, most of which only had thin bandages on top. "And my stomach only hurts when I make sudden movements or laugh too much!" She added excitedly, clapping her hands together. Reid chuckled at her exuberance.

"Well, work wasn't the same without you. I've become accustomed to having more members of the team and with both you and Garcia gone, there's definitely been a lack of presence…" His voice trailed off and he blushed at the grin Amy gave him. "Good to know nothing's changed," She teased. "Anyway, whenever you have lunch, do you wanna grab a sandwich down the road or something? The Italian place makes _unbelievable _subs." Her eyes, so beautiful, enticed Reid into his eager reply, and before he knew quite what he was doing, he had gathered his things and was following her onto the street.

* * *

Morgan was sitting at his desk, working on his paperwork when a shadow fell over his paperwork. A foreboding, Hotch shaped shadow.

"Yes Hotch?" Morgan asked, looking up. Hotch was staring at him, his eyebrows furrowed. "Could you come to my office, Morgan?" He left without waiting for a reply, so Morgan simply shrugged and stood up, following his boss into his spacious office. There was a framed photo of Haley and Jack on the wall, as well as a few certificates- very Hotch style. "What's up?" Morgan questioned, not bothering to take a seat. Hotch continued staring at him intently.

"Well, Haley found a girl for you, and apparently she's 'perfect', she wants to set up a blind date." He said carefully, and Morgan shook his head. "Sorry, but no can do. I'm not looking for a girlfriend." Morgan told him, wondering if this was what Hotch had really brought him in for. Hotch was hardly the type to drag the team in to gossip about potential blind dates.

"Oh? I've never known you to be against a date."

Morgan frowned. "Oh no, I'm just… I'm seeing someone." He said finally, not sure how to describe him and Amy. What were they doing? They'd gone on what, a total of five proper dates, not including all the times he'd dropped by after she had gotten attacked? All they'd done was make out, and they hardly held hands in public or wrote each other love letters or anything.

"Oh? Anyone I know?" Hotch prodded, and Morgan blinked. _Had Hotch heard something about him and Amy? _Instead, he hesitated and shook his head confidently. "No, no one you know." He lied, and ignoring the stare on Hotch's face, said hastily, "Anyway, I should go, paperwork waits." Walking away from Hotch and his inquisitive personal life questions, he let his mind trail to Amy, to what he and Amy were even doing. If they were together, if he _wanted _them to be together… and if being together would have consequences.

* * *

"Any exciting plans for tonight?" Amy questioned as she and Reid found a small table outside. Reid gave her a quick look before staring down at his plate.

"No… probably just stay in, read some Jean-Paul Sartre." He rambled, and Amy smiled, her hair blowing slightly in the wind. "What about you?" He finally asked, and Amy hesitated. "I've got dinner with Derek," She said, ignoring the tiny flicker of apprehension in Reid's eyes. "Are you coming to the, er, team hang out thing on Friday night? It's really fun, and if you're not really into that kind of thing, well I'm happy to show you this really unique book store just by the club we usually frequent-"

"I like clubs." Amy laughed, cutting Reid off smoothly. "And definitely count me in." Smiling warmly at him, she suddenly felt something twist in her stomach, the memory of his hazel flecked eyes so close to hers.

"Anyway, I should probably head back," Amy said hastily, standing up and finishing the last bite of her meal, trying not to look at Spencer in the face. Seeing his confused and slightly naïve frown would make her feel worse. But sitting her with him made her feel different things, things she didn't need to feel right now.

* * *

Morgan was sitting in the conference room, when Reid and Amy brushed in, smiles on their faces, still chattering in low voices. Morgan was a somewhat possessive guy by nature, but surveying Reid's gangly body in a stripy cardigan, his lanky hair in his eyes, he was barely threatened, and gave Amy a small smirk.

"Reid, Amy, thanks for joining us." Hotch said dryly, before putting his hands together, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "The FBI has instituted that all agents retake their firearms tests, to assure they can handle themselves with such." Despite the slight groans of annoyance, Morgan immediately noticed the way Reid's face paled slightly, and hid a laugh. Last year, Reid had barely struggled through his firearms tests, but eventually did earn the right to wear a shiny black gun on his belt. "So what, if we fail they'll take our guns off us?" Amy questioned, and Hotch shrugged. "Don't take it up to me, take it up to higher authorities within the FBI." He stated in a business-like voice, ignoring when JJ muttered, "Trust me, you don't want to take it up to someone like Strauss."

"When are our tests?" Reid asked instead, in a vaguely shaky voice. He'd done well with executing criminals and protecting himself and his team, but the idea of testing and firearms didn't exactly warm his heart. "This afternoon would be good. Further questions?" The team slowly shuffled out, but not before Morgan stopped by Reid and Amy, who were standing beside each other in silence.

"Genius Boy, think you can handle another firearms test?" Reid's face went stony, before Morgan turned to Amy.

"Think you can?" He grinned, and Amy simply gave him a blank stare, before replying, "Morgan, I carry three guns on me. I think I'll be okay."

Turning, she walked away, leaving both Morgan and Reid staring.

* * *

**Reeeview.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Reviews? (:  
**

* * *

The gun, as weird as this sounded, was familiar, a friend in her hands. Guns protected her more than self-defence (she was a black belt in karate) and she had no hesitance when it came to guns. She wasn't a maniac, but she couldn't help but feel a slight release of tension when she pulled the trigger on a gun- not at a person, per se, but at a harmless target. However, looking around her team, she could assess that her fellow agents were slightly different.

JJ looked concentrated and focused, but anyone could tell she didn't particularly enjoy using her gun at all. Morgan used his gun with the slightly self assured confidence of someone who thought they didn't really need a gun, but what the heck. Hotch used his gun with authority and experience, each shot particular and precise, an impassive look on his face, his gun was just a weapon to him, something to be used. Gideon used his gun sparingly, making only vital shots, his face calm and collected. Reid's long fingers trembled very slightly on his gun, and his face was quivering in utter concentration, and each shot was made with the very faintest linger of hesitance, but he wasn't bad by any means.

Amy was completely different.

Stepping back, she fired. Once, twice, three times, each time as fast and blurred as the next. Within three seconds, her 'target' was very well dead.

As she turned, she blinked, seeing the slightly surprised looks Morgan and JJ were giving her, and smiling a sparkly smirk at them (Morgan in particular) she turned and fired again.

Morgan had been going through firearms practice, before deciding to check on Amy. She was strong, he knew that, she had self defence and attack down fine. But guns were a woman's weakness a lot of the time, and he wasn't being sexist, he was being factual.

Stepping over to her shooting section, he watched as she looked around the room, her mind clearly elsewhere. Morgan couldn't help but hope she actually passed her firearms test- she looked so detached and unfocused.

"I wouldn't worry. The Pentagon's intense when it comes to guns." JJ commented as she stood beside him, her orange glasses still over her eyes. Morgan shrugged.

"Yeah, but doesn't mean Amy was one of those shooters." Amy suddenly sprang into action, her eyes narrowing slightly and going focused. Her arms out, she shot triple bullets so quickly Morgan could barely hear the separate shots, only seeing the three separate bullet holes in her target, and her face, staring at them, a sexy smile on her face before she turned back and shot one more time.

"I thought you didn't do women with guns," JJ murmured in his ear, and Morgan shrugged, a grin on his face. "I guess I'll have to make an exception," He murmured, before smirking and turning away.

* * *

Morgan was in a mess in his kitchen when the doorbell went off. Dressed simply in his trademark black V-neck, blue jeans and dusted lightly in flour, it was a sight most girls would die for. And Morgan knew it.

Worriedly, he rushed to the door, opening it. "Hi, how much will-" He froze at the door, his eyes widening. Amy was standing there, smiling shyly at him. Her hair was in a high messy bun, detailing her cheekbones and beautiful brown eyes. In a striking scarlet red dress and black stilettos, Morgan was certain he couldn't breathe for a couple of moments before she laughed slightly at his reaction.

"Too much?" She questioned, handing him a chilled bottle of wine, the condensation cool on his fingertips. "No, no, no, no." Morgan protested, drawing her in for a quick kiss. "You look amazing." He punctuated his point with a brief kiss on her neck. She smiled at him, her eyes glittering. "Good. And did I tell you? The doctor said it was okay for me to engage in physical activity." She batted her eyelashes flirtatiously at him, making him shiver slightly before she headed inside, a confused look on her face.

"Derek… what's that smell?" She questioned, as a Chinese man walked up to the doorstep. "$36.50," He chirruped loudly, as Morgan attempted to discreetly pass him the money in exchange for two bags of steaming Chinese takeout. Amy stood beside him, a giggle on her lips as Morgan closed the door. The kitchen, overflowing with burnt and messy cluttered dishes behind him, a sheepish smile overtook his face.

"What happened to, 'I'll cook for you Amy, something other than my chicken soup that I know you adore. Just you wait and see- I'm not just a pretty face'?" Amy imitated, taking one of the bags with a teasing grin on her face.

"Okay. So let's just say, hypothetically of course, that I tried to cook… and burnt everything and messed up the kitchen? And then I ordered Chinese and was considering passing it off as my own? Would you run away from me? Hypothetically, of course." He smiled innocently, stepping closer to her and setting the takeout down thoughtlessly. She smiled at him playfully, resting her hands on his arms as he snaked his hands around her lower waist. "Hypothetically?" She questioned in a low voice, and he nodded. "Well… I'd think that the hypothetical guy maybe is a one soup wonder," She said dryly.

"But it's a good thing, because I love Chinese." Grinning, she disentangled herself neatly and grabbed one of the bags.

"Also," She added over her shoulder, smiling at Morgan. "If worst comes to worst, at least I know you make good chicken soup!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Reid was tolling away at the office, mulling over a case file with a XXL Macchiato keeping him company. "Spence?" Looking up, he saw JJ standing there, looking confused. "What are you still doing here?"

Spencer smiled wearily at her. "The answer's right here, in front of my face. I just can't see it," He said in a frustrated voice, tapping the file irritably. "You should go home. It's late," JJ told him gently, and Spencer shrugged.

"Yeah, okay." Gathering his things, JJ hesitated one more time.

"Hey, when you worked the honeymoon case with Amy, did you… did you act like her husband? Kiss her and all that?" She questioned curiously. Reid fought to keep the blush off his face, nodding primly.

"Yeah. It was all part of the cover," He babbled, and JJ nodded slowly.

"So. You think she's a good kisser?" She giggled, and Reid turned away, his face crimson. "Um, I'd rather not, er, talk about that JJ. I'll see you ah, tomorrow." He stumbled before hurrying out, leaving JJ chuckling.

* * *

"Okay. It's official. I'm stuffed." Amy half giggled, half groaned. "Am I turning into a dumpling? Is that possible, if you eat too much?" She questioned, and Morgan shook his head. "I don't know what you're on about, weird Amy doppelganger dumpling." He said seriously, making Amy laugh, crawling over to him and nestling into him fondly. His chest was hard and sculpted beneath her head, and propping her head up, decided to tell him just so… but the words evaded her.

"I like you." She told him randomly instead. "Are you drunk?" He teased, poking her gently but tugging her closer to him. "No," She protested. "I'm a bit tipsy. But I'm not drunk. I'm a real _lady, _Derek Morgan." She giggled. "Okay maybe I'm a bit drunk. How come you're not? You drank just as much as me." She complained, and Derek laughed, leaning in and kissing her neck softly, making her body shiver. "Lightweight." He murmured, kissing up her neck and staring into her eyes. "Lush." She mumbled back, but slunk her arms around his neck.

Kissing her gently on the lips, she felt her neck prickle in anticipation before she tightened her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. He smelt good, intoxicating and manly, and weirdly familiar.

"Hey," He said finally, pulling apart. She nodded, looking at him. This close, his eyes were like melted chocolate, melting _her. _A very brief flash of hazel interrupted her thoughts, but she pushed them away- tonight wasn't going to be interrupted by idle Spencer Reid memories.

"Hotch wanted to know if I was dating anyone. I said I was, I didn't say you in particular but… if we're going to you know, be together officially, we should run it by him." He said finally, sounding a touch nervous. Amy stared into his eyes.

"Officially?" She repeated. "Like… you being my boyfriend? Like, holding hands, breakfast in bed, roses on Valentines day, spooning and cuddling boyfriend?" Derek nodded, his eyes unreadable. "You?" She repeated, as he nodded tersely. She paused, touching his tense, warm arm. Her head was kind of dizzy, and if she squinted, the light was all bouncy. But, she barely had to think, leaning in close.

"I'll talk to Hotch-man tomorrow morning… boyfriend." She teased, giggling when Derek leaned in and kissed her firmly. His lips were peachy. _Peachy? _She chuckled into his kiss, bringing him closer before pulling away. "We should clean the kitchen. I don't like messy things." She sighed dramatically, but shrieked out a laugh as Derek pulled an arm around her waist, pulling her on top of him.

His lips were intent and fierce, a tiny bit chapped and entirely dominating as they kissed, not able to get enough of each other.

They'd made out before- each time getting hotter than the next- but right now, the moment was accumulating wildly. His kisses trailed down her neck, his lips soft and tantalizing, making her moan softly into his ear. Their bodies close, she could feel his hands slipping under her shirt, pulling it off.

Eagerly, she pulled off his shirt and roamed his rock hard abs, wondering just how she'd gotten to this point, but not dwelling on the fact for too long before crashing back into Derek with another intent, hungry kiss. Their bodies close, his hands were trailing down her thighs when… a loud, angry beeping interrupted them.

_Shit._

It wouldn't stop, and finally, Derek pulled himself off of her, a slightly pissed off look on his face.

"Hello." He grumbled into the phone, but his expression cleared slightly as he sat up properly, glancing at Amy.

"Yeah, I'm with her… we'll be right there." Breathlessly, Amy sat up. "It was JJ," Derek sighed, opening his arms. She fell into his hold, before he reluctantly let go of her.

"There's a case, and they need us in straight away. And while they're at it, they'd also like to take our senses of social life too." Amy guessed, her voice still slightly woozy, and Derek nodded, laughing slightly. "Why couldn't I get a normal job." He groaned, as Amy stood up, giggling. "Hey, just stay there for a minute… yeah." Derek told her, grinning as he checked her out, dressed in only her lacy black bra.

"You're such a guy," Amy complained, laughing as she pulled on her shirt. He tugged on her hand, making her fall on top of him as he pressed his lips against her. "I'm your guy," He whispered into her ear, before kissing her one final time.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Reviews? (:  
**

* * *

"I can't believe Hotch managed to ruin our date." Morgan mumbled as he and Amy paused outside the Conference room. "Tomorrow night, if we're not on a case. But no more alcohol. My head's already starting to hurt and I'm still kind of drunk." Amy assured him, and Morgan pouted at her, grinning before kissing her softly.

"Okay," He agreed. "Drink your coffee. Last thing you need is Hotch realizing you're tipsy." Grinning, he nodded at the big cup of coffee Amy had in her hands. Morgan grinned, heading into the conference room, as Amy looked behind her shoulder, meeting Reid's gaze from across the bullpen, seeing the mix of stunned surprise and resent in his eyes, and fighting back any rising feelings, she walked back into the conference room, behind her boyfriend.

"He's calling himself the FB-Die killer. The killer has travelled originally from Seattle and is now in Washington DC. We have reason to believe he has an inside source, as he has been steadily killing FBI agents for a good five days now, two agents for one day. We've been called in to investigate." JJ said, clicking through the presentation as 10 faces popped up. Amy froze, her eyes widening onto one of the faces. "Oh my God," She breathed, tears springing in her eyes, any former state of previous drunkenness sobering immediately.

A female face was on the wall, a harsh black bob and familiar eyes. "Alice," Amy choked, remembering the friendly text her colleague had sent her weeks ago.

_Alice is dead._

Staring down at the table, embarrassed by the sudden tears that were in her eyes, she felt the team staring at her. "She was one of my colleagues in DC… she helped me so much." She managed to mumble. "Do you need a minute?" Hotch asked kindly, and Amy shook her head.

"No, I'm fine." Looking back up, a brave smile on her face, she ignored the concerned looks Morgan and Reid were giving her, and refocused on the case in front of her, and not on the hazel eyes and chocolate eyes that were tracing her every expression.

* * *

The team were loading onto the jet. It was like any other case- they were all thoughtfully silent, but it was different to Amy, because they were going to be working in the Pentagon offices of DC for this case. Her old work. Her old colleagues. Jesse, her ex boyfriend. _What if they said something…_

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned, smiling when she saw Morgan. "Hey," She began, but he touched her cheek worriedly. "Are you okay?" He asked in a low voice, and Amy shrugged. "You've got me." He told her, his eyes intent, and Amy nodded, touching one of his hands gently. She was lucky, she had new friends, a new team who were like a family already, Derek, and friends like Garcia, JJ… and Reid.

As she entered the jet, she sat beside Reid, wanting to talk to him. Her mixed and conflicting emotions needed to be soothed and distracted, and Reid was smart. He knew stuff. He could distract her, surely.

As she sat beside him, she leaned her head back and turned her head slightly.

"Tell me something completely random." She said desperately, ignoring the quizzical look Reid gave her.

"Completely random… well, it depends how you define and classify random facts as. Studies actually prove that-"

"_Spencer._" Something in her voice must have told Spencer how she was feeling, because he shut up and stared her in her eyes.

"Ah… Elephants are the only animals with four knees."

Amy nodded, ignoring the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Cats have 32 muscles in each ear."

Amy forced a shaky smile.

"Oh! Another one. Did you know that tiger paw prints are called pug prints?" Reid grinned, but his smile faded when he saw the wobbly fake smile on Amy's face.

"Are you-"

"Alice helped me through the worst time in my life." Amy said softly, her voice barely comprehensible.

Reid, for once, was completely silent.

"And she's dead. She's _dead_." Amy said, her voice rising and tears spilling from her eyes. Reid looked up frantically, wanting nothing more than to hold her close, kiss her head and tell her that everything_, everything _was going to be okay because he was here. He'd never let anything hurt her.

But that wasn't his job. He wasn't the one to hold her close and fret over how she was, no matter how badly he wanted to.

Looking up, he spotted Morgan, and waved him over. Silently, Reid stood up and allowed Morgan to take his seat, controlling his emotions as he watched Morgan immediately slip his arms around Amy, brushing her tears away and murmuring words of comfort into her hair.

And with that, despite every core cell in his body telling him to stay, to make sure Amy was okay, to brush the stray hairs away from her face and stare into her teary eyes with nothing but assurance in his own… Reid walked away.

He had no other choice.

* * *

**Review?**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hey readers. Completely curious- who do you ship right now; Morgan/Amy or Reid/Amy? I've already mapped out most of the story, and it'll be interesting to know what you guys think of my two 'pairings'.**

**Anyway, please review :)  
**

* * *

Hotch was sitting on his own, reading a _Times _magazine when Morgan sat opposite him.

He'd known that Morgan and Amy were dating ever since Amy had been attacked, and in the hospital, had asked for Morgan to be one of the three sent in. Reid, because he was her partner on the case, he, because he was her boss, and Morgan? Well, the blanks were easily filled, after seeing the panic all over Morgan's face the minute Amy had been taken into the ICU. And just now, Hotch had seen the way Morgan had tended to Amy, who had been crying and right now, sleeping peacefully. He never would've guessed that slightly misogynistic and charming Derek Morgan could've been so gentle around Amy. And yet he was. Although he'd been originally concerned- after all, Morgan was Morgan, the last thing he needed was uncomfortable post-break up atmosphere in his team- he wasn't sure how he felt now. After seeing the way Morgan had spent all of his free time while Amy was injured by her side, and just now, how he'd whispered to her that everything would be okay, Hotch wasn't sure what to do.

Because let's face it, even if he told Morgan he couldn't be with Amy, he would still date her anyway. He was still _Morgan,_ no matter how sweet he was with Amy.

"Hotch-" Morgan began, but Hotch put up one hand, silencing Morgan effectively.

"I know about you and Amy. And, firstly, I want you to be aware of the consequences- if this relationship ends badly, you are jeopardizing the unity of the team, and I can't have that. I'm not saying for you two to stay together forever, I'm saying that if you aren't into this relationship for the long run, the both of you, you may have to rethink things. Otherwise… well. If you're both reasonably serious and don't plan on eloping or madly breaking up, and if you're both confident you can work as an agent and put any personal feelings away when you're working, then… carry on."

Morgan's eyes widened when he realized what Hotch was saying.

"Really?'

Hotch nearly cracked a smile. Nearly. His face cracked, anyway.

"Really."

Morgan grinned, shaking his head ruefully. "Wow Hotch," He laughed. "You're not all that scary." Ignoring the quirked eyebrow Hotch gave him, Morgan grinned once again and returned to his girlfriend. As Hotch watched, a sleepy Amy smiled and snuggled against Morgan properly.

But hidden from view, a faintly depressed Spencer attempted time and time again to fall asleep.

* * *

35. Staring at the two hotel numbers, she stood there blankly and tried to recollect her thoughts and feelings. In ten minutes, she, along with the team, would be heading over to the Pentagon unit with the FBI, confronted with her past, the past she'd attempted to forget. Fumbling with her key, she swung open the door and left her bags on the floor, locking the door as she left her room, coming face to face with Reid. He was the same as ever- lanky body bent over slightly, messy caramel hair, that pale skin and old-grandma clothes. And those hazel, kind, knowing eyes. And in that moment, Amy stared at him, and couldn't stop.

"I'm scared." She whispered, and he simply stared back silently.

"Isn't everyone?" He responded softly.

"Even you?" Amy asked curiously, touching his hand hesitantly.

"Especially me." Reid replied, staring into her eyes with an intensity Amy recognized… before JJ and Garcia walked out of their rooms and into the hall, shattering the moment.

"I should go," Amy mumbled, and before Reid could protest, Amy had disappeared.

* * *

The Pentagon offices were worlds different from the BAU- they were beautifully sleek and silver, loaded with fancy technical equipment, and neatly dressed cold-eyed agents. Looking over at Amy, Reid couldn't believe she had been a top dog amongst these people. Following a shy agent into the main offices, Reid noticed immediately that Amy kept her head firmly down, not making eye contact. She didn't want to be here, and he wanted to know why. He wanted to know her.

"Here you go." The agent gestured to a big spacious room, which Hotch, JJ, Garcia, Morgan and Gideon entered immediately.

"Amy Blake?" Reid hesitated, glancing over her shoulder to see a small cluster of four agents exchange formalities with their ex-colleague. Analysing them, he understood immediately- of the one woman and three men, two of the men were attracted to her but resented her authority, one man was downright jealous that she was smarter and brighter, and the woman felt both intimidated and bitter.

"…The BAU? Really, Amy? Come back to us." The woman was saying in a high pitched, annoying voice. "Don't let what happened to you get in the way of a proper career, Blake." The jealous guy sniped and Reid watched as Amy smiled thinly and excused herself, slipping into the office without so much as glancing at him. Reid frowned to himself, words echoing in his mind.

Don't let what happened to you get in the way of a proper career Blake…

It wasn't the notion that the BAU wasn't a proper career path that annoyed Reid. It wasn't even the irritably misogynistic way he referred to Amy as her last name or attempted to subtly check out her behind in the black pencil skirt she was wearing. It was his words; _don't let what happened to you._

What had happened to Amy?

* * *

The team had been briefed, and were slowly assembling a profile. While Hotch and Gideon paid a visit to the first two crime scenes, Reid was at work analysing the geographical profile, JJ was gathering evidence, Garcia was doing Victimology and Morgan and Amy were interviewing the six FBI agents that had narrowly missed attacks or seen evidence. By some weird coincidence, Gideon had assigned them to work together, and now, after the first four agents, all who recognized Amy and asked some mysterious questions (not that slightly bone-headed at times Morgan immediately noticed, he was too busy checking the case file.)

"Who's next?" Amy sighed, shrugging and picking up a loose piece of paper. "Agent #56, works in the Specialized Sex Crimes Unit. Not due for five minutes at the latest. Was attacked, escaped… why do you keep looking at me like that?" She laughed, noticing Morgan staring at her with a hint of a grin on his lips.

"Twenty-four hours later, and you're not only sober, but in super agent mode," He responded lightly, giving her that charming smile of his.

"Stay in focus, SSA Agent Derek Morgan." She said responsibly, before flashing him a playful grin. "You're my girlfriend and you look unbelievably sexy in that-"

"Boyfriend?" Amy repeated, her eyes widening slightly. Morgan turned to her, his eyebrow quirking slightly in a very Hotch fashion. "Am. We had this conversation last night…" He began, but once seeing the slightly confused and dazed look on Amy's face, sighed in recognition, his head bowing slightly in defeat.

"You forget things when you're drunk." He groaned, and Amy sighed, raking a hand through her loose wavy hair. "So while I was inebriated last night, you decided you're my boyfriend?"

Derek's eyebrows furrowed. "_We _decided. But well, obviously you were in no state to make decisions-"

"I'm not _that _bad drunk."

"You drunk is oddly likeable. That's not the point, I thought we established our relationship, I okay-ed it with Hotch-"

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa. _When did you talk this through with Hotch?"

Morgan paused, staring at her.

"Okay, who are you, and what did you do with the sweet, funny, amazing Amy I was with last night?"

"Last night, when I was _drunk_? All I remember is making out with you."

"You say that like it's terrible." Derek protested, at the same time another voice, this one silken and self assured, dryly commented, "Classy."

Both heads turned, freezing when they saw a man standing in front of them. He had caramel swoops of perfectly styled hair, electric green eyes, a strong jaw and the kind of cocky self-assurance on his face that Morgan hated… mainly because cocky self-assurance was _his_ thing.

He sat down in the chair in front of him, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Let me guess. You're Amy's new guy. You've been falling for her, she freaks out because he doesn't do commitment, and now she's trying to back out of it." He said flatly, tugging the sleeves on his leather jacket before turning to Amy.

"Hey babe. Miss me?"

Morgan blinked, turning his stare from this annoying guy to Amy.

What the hell had he missed?

* * *

**R for Review.**


	14. Chapter 14

_AN: Dearest Readers_

_I'm so sorry about my lack of posting. Long story short, I've really gone through a lot of lovelife/personal crisises in my life over the past 6 months or so, and it's really taken it's toll on me, and I completely neglected my stories. I apologize, I've written so many chapters, and I'll post them more regularly now, I promise!_

_Please read and review, it would mean the world to me._

* * *

Garcia was combing the mane on her My Little Pony and ignoring the cold looks the DC tech analyst Maude was giving her, (whilst wondering why exactly a woman would name her baby Maude, clearly Maude's mother was slightly insane) when Reid burst into the Pentagon's tech office.

"Child Prodigy!" She exclaimed gratefully, pushing off the table and wheeling her wheelie chair so she was exactly in front of him.

"I know these dudes are the top of the FBI food chain, but honestly? They keep giving me awful looks because I'm brushing Abigail. I've finished all of Hotch's victimology stuff, it's not like I'm _slacking _on the job." Garcia hissed, throwing her hands into the air, grateful to have someone to talk to.

"Abigail?" Reid questioned, and Garcia lifted her bright pink pony, much to the slight chagrin of Reid.

"Anyway, what can I do for you, my little muffin?" She said louder, returning back to her many screens. Reid paused, leaning in, his voice confidential.

"Er, I'm not actually supposed to be here, and I've finished the geographical profile but I was wondering if you happened to know Amy's history with the Pentagon Unit, and if you could tell me? Because everyone's mentioning some traumatic accident or something that happened to her, and no one really knows about her past, and well-"

"Genius Boy, trust me, that's her business." Garcia said resolutely, patting Reid's skinny arm comfortingly. "I know you care about Am, but trust me… I know she wants to keep this to herself, you know?"

Reid was quiet, nodding. "Garcia… is it really bad?" He asked finally, his voice slightly shaky. Garcia paused visibly, before nodding.

"Now, get out of here! Save some lives! Catch some Unsubs!" She said loudly, as Reid scuttled away. Watching him go, Garcia sighed deeply and picked up her pony. "You should give it a try. It's very relaxing." Garcia offered Maude the purple plastic comb, but the uptight 30-something tech analyst simply pursed her salmon pink lips and turned away.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Maude asked primly, and Garcia smirked. "Shouldn't you?" She questioned back just as innocently, gesturing to Maude's screen, which was up on . _Probably e-shopping for a new hideous pin stripe blazer, _Garcia guessed. "Hmph." Maude grunted, and turned back to her screen, ignoring the smug grin on Garcia's face.

* * *

The one word to describe Amy, Jesse and Morgan sitting in a small interview room, staring at each other would be _awkward. _Extremely, exceedingly, incredibly, very… awkward.

"Who are you?" Morgan finally demanded, his eyes darting from Jesse to Amy. Jesse, with his annoying chiselled cheekbones and green eyes boring into Amy's forehead. And Amy, who was staring directly at the floor, fumbling with her fingers nervously.

"Jesse," He offered smoothly, his voice irritatingly alluring. "Amy's boyfriend."

"_Ex _boyfriend." Amy muttered, and Jesse simply turned and gave her a condescending smirk.

"Look, maybe we should just forget about any personal ties, we're here to solve a case." Morgan said tersely, but Jesse ignored him.

"Amy love, when is this whole charade going to be over? When are you going to come _home?_" He said softly, leaning closer to her and making Morgan stiffen.

"I miss you. I still love you, you know." He said softly.

"Look man, just leave it alone." Morgan said sharply, and Jesse turned on him, his eyes hard. "I'm talking to her, _man_." Jesse said mockingly.

"Get out. Jesse, leave, okay? Please." Amy begged suddenly, her voice tinged with tears. "I don't want to be with you. We're _over. _We'll get another agent to do the interview with you, but I really-"

"Whatever." Jesse snapped, standing up and eyeing Morgan critically.

"If you think for a chance you're gonna get any sort of serious relationship, or any kind of relationship at all from her? Well, give up. After Phoenix, don't expect anything from her." Smirking, he stood up and strode off, leaving a teary eyed Amy and an angry Morgan.

"Amy…" Morgan began, turning to her, but she stood up too, her eyes glittering with tears. "Don't." She choked out, and ran away, leaving Morgan on his own, bewildered as ever.

* * *

Reid was standing outside Pentagon, his favourite XXL Macchiato coffee in one hand. Thoughts were swirling in his mind- about the Unsub, the case… and Amy.

Amy. The smile that lingered on her face after he had kissed her that final time on the Honeymoon case, the way her lips were so unbelievably soft. Her eyes, up close, a million different spectrums of light and colour. Who he was around her.

As if by magic, she spilled out onto the sidewalk, a mess of emotions and tears. "Amy?" He asked dubiously, and she turned, her normally crystal brown eyes glossy with tears. "Spence," She cried, and rested her head tearfully on his shoulder, their limbs entangling before she suddenly drew back stiffly, her facial expressions struggling to control themselves.

"Sorry," She whispered, shaking her head. "It's just… being here, and Jesse, and Morgan…" her voice trailed off tearfully.

"So. You love Morgan, huh." Reid asked suddenly, staring off into the distance and taking a long, distracted gulp from his coffee. Amy was silent.

"I don't know." She whispered finally, before rubbing her teary cheeks and walking away.

Morgan too, behind the corner, looked away and walked off, his face closed off.

* * *

"Amy?" Glancing up, she blinked hastily and forced a vague smile at Hotch, who was watching her worriedly. "Yeah?" She asked, and Hotch stared at her knowingly before replying, "We have a witness, it'd be great if you could check him out… he lives at 13 Bernice Avenue. Take Reid with you."

Amy was quiet after Hotch had left, forcing her own personal problems out of her mind and focusing on the case. After finding Reid, they drove in awkward silence to George Boyce, the witness and head of FBI management's house.

"I'm going to head round back," Amy said finally, when they had rang the doorbell numerous times. With no reply Reid simply nodded, and Amy trailed around the house. Blinking curiously, she felt her spine stiffen slightly, and grabbing her gun, her senses went on hyper alert. Tiptoeing to a heavy wooden garage, she suddenly lashed out, kicking against the door with one strong leg. The rickety door easily crashed to the ground, and as Amy entered, she shuddered, eventually averting her gaze. Three rotting FBI agents lay on the ground, strewn crudely. Grabbing her phone, she scowled when she saw the zero bars of reception, when she heard something- the sound of a body hitting the ground. Immediately on alert, Amy ran to the front of the house, where George Boyce was standing. His piglike eyes bulged out of his head in violence and hatred.

She met Reid's panicked eyes calmly, and looked at the Unsub, who had a gun against Reid's neck. "Speak, and I shoot," He was snarling.

"George, put the man down." He laughed out a bark of a laugh.

"Put your gun down. _Put your gun down_." He demanded, as Amy quickly dropped the gun in her hand, letting it clatter to the ground. "You can let him go now," She bargained quietly, and George smirked icily. "No," He said, his voice eerily cool. "I think one more kill will do it." He lifted a gun and pressed it against Reid's pale throat, preparing to pull the safety loose.

"Let me do it," Amy suddenly said, and George paused, curiosity piqued.

"Do you know who I am?" Amy continued blithely, making sure not to look at Reid. "I'm _Amy Baik. _I was the top sex offender profiler in the Pentagon unit. And I've been freaking demoted to the BAU. This stupid idiot here? He's a _kid. _He has no idea what he's doing. He's a little kid, completely worthless. Let me kill him, for all I care." She injected as much bitterness into her voice as possible.

"They demoted _me. _I was the best they had, and they're never going to be better! They're all complete idiots." She snarled, and something flickered in George Boyce's eyes. "You know who I am. You've heard of me. And you know that they're always laying off the only true FBI quality agents," Amy continued.

George simply assessed her, before suddenly stepping close to Reid, knocking him out with a heavy punch to the head, sending Reid falling to the ground unconscious. George stared at me, lowering his gun slightly. "I don't believe you." He said suddenly. "I'll show you my badge," Amy said calmly, reaching in her pocket slowly and tossing him her wallet. "Calm," Amy said slowly, lifting her hands up behind her head. Eyes still trained on her, he bent and rifled through the wallet… but Amy reacted, suddenly pulling her hands from behind her head and shooting out at him. _Once, twice, _and his body fell.

"Shit," He swore, his breath fast and ragged. "You stupid bitch." Amy gave him an angry look, knocking him out with a punch to the face, before heading to Reid's side, her body weak and numb with shock. He was barely awake, staring at her with wide eyes.

"What?" He managed to ask, and Amy simply shook her head, smiling. "I keep two guns on me, a tiny pistol and a handgun. When I realized you were out front, I slipped my smaller gun at the back of my jacket, in the collar tag." Reid's eyes were fluttering, and pain was starting to throb in Amy's knuckles from punching the Unsub so hard.

"You okay?" Amy questioned softly, touching Reid's arm. He laughed weakly, nodding. "You are one serious agent," He choked out slightly, as Amy laughed too, fishing in her pocket for her phone. The reception was still down, but there was one tiny bar of reception, enough for one call.

"Hang tight," Amy breathed, settling back and keeping one eye carefully on the still unconscious Unsub while she dialled, and before she realized what she was doing, she bent down and clasped one of Reid's hands in her own, entangling their fingers. "Help's on the way."


	15. Chapter 15

It had been a long, painful twelve hours. After Amy's honourable taking down of the Unsub, she'd ensured Reid was okay (he was fine, only a mild concussion) and felt slightly awkward when the team, the Pentagon Unit and the police force in DC were congratulating her on a good job. Morgan had met her eyes intently, reminding her of everything else she'd forgotten about. Now, the team were slowly dissolving into their hotels, ready for a deserved night's sleep.

Amy was beyond proud of herself, she'd been on top of her game today. She knew that that quality was what made her such an extraordinary agent- she was able to separate both halves of her lives, no matter how tangled her personal life was.

The important thing was, she mused, that she hadn't broken down- she had saved potential lives, and _Reid's _life. She wasn't going to let anything affect her anymore, not her past, and certainly not Jesse.

Slipping into her room, she immediately made herself a tea, taking sips of the hot liquid and feeling her body begin to relax. She cringed at the memory of Reid's face when she'd left the building, in a mess of tears and self-destruction. She cringed at the memory of Jesse's cold, impassive words. She cringed at the memory of her and Morgan's stupid fight.

A knock sounded at the door, and heading over, 0pened it. Derek stood there, his face unusually expressionless. "Can we talk?" He asked flatly, and Amy nodded, shutting the door behind him. They stood in an awkward limbo, staring at each other, before Derek finally broke the silence.

"So. You don't want me to be your boyfriend, you don't know if you love me. I think it's safe to say that you're not feeling it." Amy was wide eyed.

"I heard you and Reid today." Morgan said finally, his jaw set. "I like you. I like you more than I've liked anyone, ever. But I'm not going to be in a one sided relationship, so if you don't feel the same way about me, maybe we should end… whatever this is." Amy had never felt so simultaneously terrified and lost.

"Derek," She whispered. "I'm sorry." Tears brimmed in her eyes, the stress of the entire day getting to her. A flash of the old Derek crossed Morgan's face.

"I do like you. I like you so much. I'm just…afraid. I've lost so many people I love. People I thought would never leave- my Mom, my dad, my sisters, Jesse… they've all left. It just seems that whenever I get attached, I end up alone." Amy's voice trembled, as Morgan stepped closer to her, his hard face expression fading. "Amy," He said softly. "I'm not going to leave you." Amy shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. "Amy," Morgan repeated, his voice firm. "I love you." Amy's head jolted up, her eyes wide with shock, and something unreadable. "You've gotta be okay with it, Am. I love you. I don't care if you don't say it back. I just want to be with you." Amy looked at Derek Morgan, and smiled, an honest, genuine smile. "I want to be with you too… the whole boyfriend girlfriend thing included." She whispered earnestly, staring up at Morgan with tear-spiked eyelashes. "I'm sorry for being so insane." She said softly, and he sighed. "Whoever thought I wouldn't be the one with commitment issues in a relationship," He sighed, and Amy simply smiled. "But… I'll just have to deal." She leaned forward then, and kissed him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she sighed into their kiss, breaking apart briefly.

Derek shook his head, trying to kiss her again, and she giggled, stopping him.

"Hang on a sec," She laughed. "You really love me?" She stared into his eyes, and he nodded. "Kind of…" he joked, before smiling. Amy hesitated briefly, before looking up at him.

"I love you too." She blushed, and he smiled.

"Good."

* * *

Morgan had been in Amy's room for at least half an hour. Reid was sitting out in the hallway, trying to look unsuspicious with a book and yet another coffee, but his mind was racing too much to focus on the works of Steinbeck. What was Morgan doing in Amy's room for so long anyway… _ugh. _Reid shuddered, feeling suddenly incredibly desolate.

_Yeah, they're probably in there, doing God knows what while I stay out here, all alone with a book… _Reid scowled.

"Reid man, what are you doing out here so late?" His head suddenly jerking up, Reid blinked when he saw Morgan in front of him, smiling blissfully.

"Hey," Reid said hurriedly, scrambling up to his feet. "I thought you were ah… going to sleep over. Since you know, you and Amy…" He suddenly felt very awkward. Morgan was tall, broad shouldered, athletic, handsome and charming in a way Reid would never be. He was the high school jock that Reid feared in high school, the guy who always got the girl, the grades, the life.

"Nah, figured if Hotch found out he'd kill us both. Besides, today's been crazy for her you know?" Morgan said neutrally, grinning at Reid. "How'd it feel having my girlfriend save your ass today?" He added teasingly, punching Reid's arm and making him feel even worse about himself.

"Anyway man, I'm gonna head in. I'm exhausted. Sleep tight, Genius Boy." Grinning wider, Morgan slipped into his hotel room, leaving Reid alone with Steinbeck yet again.


End file.
